Farzana, an 18-year-old woman from Ghor province, was killed after months of domestic violence by her husband and members of his family. According to reports, she had previously fled to her father-in-law’s home after suffering repeated abuse and told her mother that she feared she would be killed if she returned. She was later forced to return to her husband’s home.

Farzana was eventually killed after severe abuse, including having boiling water poured over her head and body. Her death has not received significant coverage from women’s media outlets, despite the continuing violence against women in Afghanistan. Her case has once again highlighted the vulnerability of women facing domestic violence and the lack of effective protection and recourse available to them.

Nineteen Afghan migrants have died after becoming stranded in the scorching deserts of Nimroz province while attempting an irregular border crossing into Iran, marking another devastating tragedy driven by Afghanistan's worsening humanitarian and economic crisis.

The group was traveling through the remote Dasht-e Margo and Reg-e Lalo deserts, approximately 63 kilometers from the Milak border crossing, when their vehicle reportedly broke down in mid-July. Left without transportation, water, or shelter, the migrants were forced to endure temperatures exceeding 40°C (104°F). Authorities believe the victims succumbed to extreme heat and severe dehydration after spending days stranded in the barren desert.

Search efforts began after the group was reported missing. The first five bodies were discovered around 19 July, while search teams and local authorities recovered the remaining fourteen bodies later in the month. Officials said the harsh terrain and extreme weather conditions complicated recovery operations.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) expressed its condolences to the victims' families, describing the incident as a heartbreaking reminder of the dangers faced by Afghans undertaking irregular migration. The organization emphasized that worsening economic conditions, widespread unemployment, and limited opportunities continue to push many Afghans toward increasingly hazardous migration routes despite the life-threatening risks.

The tragedy reflects a broader humanitarian crisis unfolding across Afghanistan. As poverty deepens and prospects for employment and stability diminish, thousands continue to risk dangerous journeys through deserts, mountains, and the hands of human smugglers in search of safety or economic survival. Many never reach their destination.

The deaths of these nineteen migrants serve as another stark reminder of the desperate circumstances forcing countless Afghans to make impossible choices, with dangerous migration routes claiming lives long before they reach a border.

Bibi Sediqa, an ethnic Turkmen from a poor family in Badghis province, was arrested by the Taliban after refusing a forced marriage to Mawlawi Khodainazar, known as "Qazi," son of Abdul Rasul, an ethnic Pashtun who serves as a local Taliban commander. Sediqa has been held in Taliban custody under harsh conditions for 21 months.

Mawlawi Khodainazar, who is around 70 years old and holds significant influence within the Taliban, allegedly used armed intimidation to force Sediqa's father to consent to the marriage. However, Sediqa, who was only 14 years old at the time, refused the forced marriage.

Initially, the Taliban's primary court in her own district ruled in Sediqa's favor. However, Mawlawi Khodainazar used his connections with the judge of the Badghis provincial court to have the case transferred to the provincial center, where a ruling was issued in his favor. Bibi Sediqa was subsequently imprisoned under a judgment that her family considers unlawful and unjust.

During her imprisonment, Sediqa has suffered severe psychological trauma. In the absence of justice and an independent judicial system, she has remained in detention, where Taliban members have at times allegedly tortured her in an effort to force her to accept marriage to the commander. Her mother has also developed serious health problems as a result of the emotional distress caused by her daughter's detention.

The case was thrust into the public spotlight after Sediqa's mother released a video appeal, urging authorities to free her daughter and drawing renewed attention to the sutiation. The man who had supported Bibi Sediqa, was killed by gunmen affiliated with Khodainazar. Since then, Sediqa's case has remained unresolved, and she continues to be detained in Taliban custody without any clear legal resolution.

Sources close to Bibi Sediqa's family say Taliban authorities recently proposed a settlement under which she would be married to the man claiming the right to marry her for three days in order to close the case.

Bibi Sediqa's family says no practical steps have been taken and no independent committee has been appointed to investigate the case.

Sediqa's case is one of many example of the atrocities and grave abuses reported across Afghanistan, where the Taliban have subjected women and girls to forced marriages, arbitrary detention, and other serious violations. Many of these cases receive little public attention, particularly when the victims come from poor or marginalized communities. The treatment of women and girls by the Taliban in such cases reflects a deeply disturbing, disgusting pattern of injustice that continues to devastate lives across the country.

A landmark independent inquiry has unearthed chilling new allegations of systematic abuse and extrajudicial killings by British Special Forces in Afghanistan. Testimony presented this week details a culture of horrifying violence, including claims that soldiers used heavy machinery to torture and drop unarmed detainees purely for entertainment.

The proceedings at the Royal Courts of Justice are systematically dismantling the official narratives of the UK's military deployment in the Middle East. The revelations point to a catastrophic failure of operational oversight, where elite units operated with absolute impunity and senior commanders actively suppressed dissenting voices within the ranks.

Whistleblowers Break the Silence

The explosive evidence was introduced to the Afghanistan Inquiry by two key whistleblowers who shattered the military's code of silence. Monica Grenfell, a former journalist who worked alongside United Kingdom Special Forces (UKSF), and Christopher Green, a former member of the Army Reserve, provided sworn testimony detailing profound violations of the Geneva Conventions.

Grenfell testified that she was explicitly informed by serving personnel that British soldiers placed blindfolded Afghan prisoners onto the tines of a forklift. The operators would then drive the machinery at top speed and execute sudden maneuvers until the unsecured detainees plummeted to the ground. According to the testimony, these acts were not conducted for interrogation purposes, but entirely "for fun."

These incidents reportedly occurred following night raids in the Maywand District of Kandahar Province, an area where UKSF units conducted intense counter-insurgency operations. The inquiry heard that the dehumanization of local nationals was deeply ingrained in the operational culture of the specific squadrons deployed to the region.

The Anatomy of the Allegations

The forklift abuse represents only a fraction of the broader investigation into alleged war crimes. The inquiry, chaired by Lord Justice Haddon-Cave, was established to investigate claims that British special forces executed dozens of unarmed Afghan civilians and detainees between 2010 and 2013.

A recurring pattern identified in previous hearings involves the execution of military-aged males who were already in custody. In multiple documented raids, soldiers claimed that unarmed detainees suddenly produced hidden weapons—often a single grenade or an AK-47—justifying their immediate execution. The sheer statistical improbability of this scenario occurring dozens of times across different operations has drawn intense scrutiny from legal experts.

Christopher Green's testimony highlighted the swift retribution faced by any soldier who questioned these lethal outcomes. Green revealed that when he raised formal concerns regarding the suspicious killing of three Afghan farmers during a UKSF raid, his commanding officers dismissed the intelligence and actively marginalized him. He testified that he was openly branded a "Taliban-loving apologist" by peers for demanding accountability.

Institutional Culture and Cover-Ups

The most damning aspect of the inquiry is the evidence of systemic institutional complicity. The testimony suggests that the chain of command was not merely negligent, but actively engaged in sanitizing operational reports to protect the reputation of elite regiments.

When field reports indicated that the number of enemy combatants killed vastly outnumbered the weapons recovered from the scene, commanders reportedly failed to initiate mandatory military police investigations. Instead, tactical directives were altered, and operational summaries were homogenized to align with the legal parameters of self-defence.

Global Echoes: From Kandahar to Nanyuki

The revelations emanating from London carry profound implications for nations hosting foreign military bases. In Kenya, the presence of the British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK) in Nanyuki has generated parallel demands for accountability regarding the conduct of foreign troops on sovereign soil.

The unresolved 2012 murder of Agnes Wanjiru, whose body was discovered in a septic tank following interactions with British soldiers, remains a highly volatile diplomatic issue between Nairobi and London. The Afghanistan Inquiry demonstrates that the British military establishment possesses a documented history of prioritizing regimental reputation over criminal justice.

For governments navigating bilateral defence agreements, the inquiry mandates stringent new oversight protocols:

Sovereign Jurisdiction: Host nations must maintain primary prosecutorial jurisdiction over foreign troops accused of civilian crimes, rejecting blanket diplomatic immunity clauses.Independent Auditing: The establishment of civilian-led oversight committees with the authority to access unredacted operational reports and interview field personnel without superior officers present.

Whistleblower Protection: Creating secure, external channels for military personnel to report human rights violations without fear of career termination or being labeled an "apologist."As Lord Justice Haddon-Cave prepares his final assessments, the British Ministry of Defense faces an unprecedented crisis of legitimacy. The image of a blindfolded prisoner falling from a forklift serves as a devastating indictment of a military culture that lost its moral compass in the deserts of Kandahar.

At least 28 civilians were killed and dozens more injured after Pakistan carried out airstrikes in Afghanistan’s eastern border provinces on Sunday. Afghan Taliban officials said the attacks hit civilian homes in Paktia, Paktika and Kunar. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan confirmed that at least 28 civilians were killed and 49 others injured in the strikes, describing the casualties as civilians and noting that women and children were among the victims. The mission said the figures are preliminary and could rise as verification continues.

Pakistan said the strikes were part of an intelligence-based operation targeting militant hideouts following a deadly attack on a paramilitary base in Karachi that killed three security personnel. Islamabad claimed 29 militants were killed during the operation and said it was responding to cross-border terrorism.

The Taliban government condemned the airstrikes as a “cowardly act of aggression,” accusing Pakistan of causing heavy civilian casualties. Afghan officials reported a high death, while Pakistan maintained that only militant targets were struck. The casualty figures from both sides have not been independently verified.

The latest violence highlights growing tensions between the two neighbours despite previous ceasefire efforts. Pakistan continues to accuse Afghanistan of sheltering militant groups such as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a claim Kabul denies, while Afghan authorities accuse Pakistan of carrying out attacks that endanger civilians.

HERAT, Afghanistan — June 9, 2026: The western Afghan city of Herat witnessed one of the most significant anti-Taliban protests in recent months on Tuesday, June 9, after residents took to the streets in outrage over the detention of women and girls by the Taliban's so-called Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice.

The demonstrations began in Jebrail Township, a densely populated area of Herat, where hundreds of residents gathered to condemn the recent arrests of women and demand basic rights and freedoms. Protesters repeatedly chanted the slogans "Education, Work, Freedom" and "Bread, Work, Freedom", calling for an end to the Taliban's escalating repression and the immediate release of detainees.

According to local sources, the unrest was triggered by the arrest of several young women on June 7. Witnesses say Taliban morality police detained at least nine young women despite reports that they were fully covered according to the Taliban's own dress requirements. The Taliban have provided no explanation for the arrests, and the whereabouts of the detained women remain unknown.

Rather than addressing public concerns, Taliban forces responded with violence.

Multiple eyewitnesses report that armed Taliban units opened fire on the largely peaceful crowd within minutes of the demonstration's start. Videos circulating on social media show armed Taliban members firing weapons, beating protesters with sticks, throwing stones, and assaulting civilians. One widely shared video appears to show a Taliban fighter deliberately shooting at a woman who was wearing a hijab, causing her to collapse to the ground.

Local sources report that at least two protesters were killed and 22 others were wounded during the crackdown. Among the injured were two teenage boys, aged 14 and 16, who reportedly suffered gunshot wounds to the head and neck. Several other civilians, including a child, were also wounded.

More than ten people are believed to have been arrested during and after the demonstration, although the exact number remains unclear.

The repression did not end when the streets were cleared.

Residents say Taliban forces launched an extensive manhunt across Jebrail following the protest. Armed patrols using motorcycles, ranger vehicles, and civilian cars moved through neighborhoods searching for participants. Taliban personnel reportedly monitored nearby buildings and detained individuals suspected of filming the events.

One local resident told journalists that Taliban fighters noticed a man recording from the window of his home. "They dragged him out of his house and arrested him," the source said.

Reports also indicate that Taliban forces visited hospitals in Herat in an apparent effort to identify and detain wounded protesters. Additional reinforcements were deployed to Jebrail, turning parts of the city into what residents described as a heavily militarized zone.

The events in Herat highlight the growing anger among ordinary Afghans, particularly women and young people, who continue to face severe restrictions on education, employment, movement, and basic civil liberties under Taliban rule. Despite years of intimidation, arbitrary arrests, and violent suppression, citizens continue to risk their lives to demand rights that are recognized throughout the world as fundamental human freedoms.

While Taliban gunfire may have dispersed Tuesday's protest, many residents insist the movement will not disappear.

"Today they may silence the voices calling for education, work, and freedom," one resident said. "Tomorrow those same demands will be heard from thousands of other voices across Afghanistan."

The Taliban have not issued any official statement regarding the shootings, the reported deaths, or the arrests that sparked the protests.

The Taliban's relentless oppression, brutality, and medieval restrictions on personal freedoms—particularly those targeting women's education, employment, public participation, and daily lives—have fueled growing unrest across different parts of Afghanistan. Far from extinguishing public resistance, the regime's violent and inhumane crackdowns have only deepened popular anger. If current trends continue, these acts of repression are unlikely to suppress the demand for freedom and dignity. Instead, they may contribute to broader waves of anti-Taliban protests and pro-freedom uprisings across the country in the months and years ahead.

The blood spilled in Jebrail, Herat, is sowing the seeds of a nationwide uprising against the Taliban's medieval rule. Every act of repression creates new voices of resistance, and every victim of violence strengthens the determination of Afghans who refuse to surrender their hopes for freedom, justice, and human dignity.

Abdul Rashid Azimi says he is prepared to sell one of his daughters to feed the others

As dawn breaks, hundreds of men gather at a dusty square in Chaghcharan, the capital of Ghor province in Afghanistan.

They line the roadside with weary faces, hoping someone will come along offering any work. It will determine whether their families eat that day.

The likelihood of success, however, is low.

Juma Khan, 45, has found just three days of work in the past six weeks that paid between 150 to 200 Afghani ($2.35-$3.13; £1.76-£2.34) per day.

"My children went to bed hungry three nights in a row. My wife was crying, so were my children. So I begged a neighbour for some money to buy flour," he says."I live in fear that my children will die of hunger."

His story is in no way unique.

In Afghanistan today, a staggering three in four people cannot meet their basic needs, according to the United Nations. Unemployment is rife, healthcare struggling and the aid that once provided the basics for millions has dwindled to a fraction of what it once was.

The country is now facing record levels of hunger, with 4.7 million - more than a tenth of Afghanistan's population - estimated to be one step away from famine.

Ghor is one of the worst-affected provinces.

The men here are desperate.

"I got a call saying my children hadn't eaten for two days," says Rabani, his voice choking up."I felt like I should kill myself. But then I thought how will that help my family? So here I am looking for work."

Khwaja Ahmad barely gets out a few words before he starts sobbing. "We are starving. My older children died, so I need to work to feed my family. But I'm old, so no one wants to give me work," he says.

When a local bakery near the square opens up, the owner distributes stale bread among the crowd. Within seconds, the loaves have been pulled apart, half a dozen men clutching onto precious pieces.

Suddenly another scrum occurs. A man on a motorcycle comes by wanting to hire one labourer to carry bricks. Dozens of men throw themselves at him.

In the two hours we were there, only three men got hired.

In the communities nearby - bare homes scattered over barren, brown hills, set against the snowy peaks of the Siah Koh mountain range - the devastating impact of unemployment is clear.

Abdul Rashid Azimi takes us into his home and brings out two of his children – seven-year-old twins Roqia and Rohila. He holds them close, eager to explain why he's making unbearable choices.

"I'm willing to sell my daughters," he weeps. "I'm poor, in debt and helpless. I come home from work with parched lips, hungry, thirsty, distressed and confused. My children come to me saying 'Baba, give us some bread'. But what can I give? Where is the work?"

Abdul tells us he is willing to sell his girls for marriage, or for domestic work. "If I sell one daughter, I could feed the rest of my children for at least four years," he says.

He hugs Rohila, kissing her as he cries. "It breaks my heart, but it's the only way."

"All we have to eat is bread and hot water, not even tea," says their mother, Kayhan.

Labourers gather early in a bid to find the little work there is

The choice to sell daughters over sons, is because culturally sons are widely seen as future breadwinners, and here in Afghanistan, with the Taliban's restrictions on education and work for women and girls, it is even more pronounced.

Additionally, there is a tradition in which a marital gift is given to the family of the girl from the family of the boy during marriage.

Two of Abdul and Kayhan's teenage sons work polishing shoes in the town centre. Another collects rubbish, which Kayhan uses as fuel for cooking.

Saeed Ahmad tells us he has already been forced to sell his five-year-old daughter, Shaiqa, after she got appendicitis and a cyst in her liver.

"I had no money to pay the medical expenses. So I sold my daughter to a relative," he says.

Shaiqa's surgery was successful. The money for it came from the 200,000 Afghani ($3,200; £2,400) she has been sold for.

"If I had taken the whole sum at that time, he would have taken her away. So I told him just give me enough for her treatment now, and in the next five years you can give me the rest after which you can take her. She will become his daughter-in-law," explains Saeed.

Shaiqa puts her tiny arms around his neck. Their close bond is evident, but in five years, when she is just 10, she will have to leave and go to the relative's home to marry one of his sons.

"If I had money, I would never have taken this decision," Saeed says. "But then I thought, what if she dies without the surgery?

"Giving away your child at such a young age, carries a lot of anxiety. Underage [marriages] have their problems; however, because I couldn't pay for her treatment, I was thinking, at least she will be alive."

The practice of underage marriage remains widespread in Afghanistan and is increasing due to the Taliban government's bar on education for girls.

Saeed Ahmad says he has sold his five-year-old daughter, Shaiqa

Just two years ago, Saeed was getting some help.

Back then, he and his family – like millions of other Afghans - received food aid: flour, cooking oil, lentils and supplements for children.

But massive cuts in aid over the past few years have deprived a large majority of this life-saving assistance.

Key donors have significantly reduced contributions. Current UN figures show that the aid received so far this year is 70% lower than in 2025.

Severe drought – which has affected more than half the provinces in the country - is compounding problems.

"We've had help from no one - not the government, not NGOs," says villager Abdul Malik.

The Taliban government, which seized power in 2021, also places blame at the door of Afghanistan's previous administration – forced out as foreign forces withdrew from the country.

"During the 20 years of invasion, an artificial economy was created due to the influx of US dollars," Hamdullah Fitrat, deputy spokesman for the Taliban government, tells the BBC.

"After the end of the invasion, we inherited poverty, hardship, unemployment and other problems."

However, the Taliban's own policies, particularly its restrictions against women, are also a key reason why donors are turning away.

When asked, the Taliban government rejected any responsibility for donors walking away, stating instead that "humanitarian assistance should not be politicised".

Fitrat also points to Taliban plans "to reduce poverty and create jobs by implementing major economic projects", naming a few infrastructure and mining projects.

But while long-term projects might help one day, it is clear that there are millions who will simply not survive without urgent assistance.

Like Mohammad Hashem, whose 14-month-old baby girl died a few weeks ago.

"My child died of hunger and a lack of medicine... When a child is sick and hungry, it is obvious they will die," he says.

A local elder says that child mortality, mainly due to malnutrition, has "really gone up" in the last two years.

Here, though, there are no formal records of deaths. The graveyard is the only place to find evidence of a surge in child deaths. And so, like we've done in the past, we counted the small and big graves separately. There were roughly twice as many small graves as big ones – suggesting twice as many children as adults.

There was more evidence at the main provincial hospital in Chaghcharan.

The neonatal, or newborn, unit is the busiest. Every bed is full, some with two babies in them. Most of them are underweight and a majority are struggling to breathe on their own.

A nurse wheels in a small cot with newborn twin girls. They're two months premature. One weighs 2kg, the other just 1kg.

They're in a critical condition and were immediately put on oxygen.

Their mother, 22-year-old Shakila, is recovering in the maternity ward.

"She is weak because she had barely anything to eat when she was carrying them, just bread and tea," the twins' grandmother Gulbadan explains. "That's why the babies are in such a condition."

A few hours after we left the hospital that day, the heavier baby died before she could even be named.

"The doctors tried to help her but she died," her stricken grandmother says the next day.

"I wrapped her tiny body up and took her home. When her mother found out, she fainted."

Gulbadan points to the surviving baby, adding: "I hope she at least survives."

Nurse Fatima Husseini says there are days when as many as three babies die.

"In the beginning, I found it very hard when I saw children dying. But now it has almost become normal for us," she says.

Dr Muhammad Mosa Oldat, who runs the neonatal unit, says the mortality rate climbs as high as 10%, which is "not acceptable".

"But because of poverty, the patient load is increasing every day," he says. "And here we also don't have the resources to treat the babies properly."

In the paediatric intensive care unit, six-week-old Zameer is suffering from meningitis and pneumonia. Both are curable, but doctors would need to conduct an MRI scan and they don't have the right equipment.

But perhaps the most shocking thing the medics tell us is that the public hospital doesn't have medicine for most patients, with families having to buy their medication from pharmacies outside.

"Sometimes, if medicines are left over from the baby of a better-off family, we use it for the babies whose families cannot afford it," Fatima says.

A lack of money is forcing many families to make tough decisions.

Gulbadan's surviving granddaughter put on a little weight and her breathing stabilised. But a few days later, her family took her home. They simply couldn't afford to keep her in hospital.

Baby Zameer was also taken home by his parents for the same reason.

Their tiny bodies will now have to fight the battle to survive all on their own.

Additional reporting by Imogen Anderson, Mahfouz Zubaide and Sanjay Ganguly

Update: This article has been amended to explain why daughters are more often sold than sons in Afghanistan. Additional context has been added to make clear that Saeed's daughter Shaiqa was sold to his relative for marriage, and to include an additional quote from Saeed in which he describes how he came to his decision.

The wife of Salam Matftoon, a local singer, was shot and killed by unidentified gunmen in the northeastern province of Badakhshan, local sources said, in the latest in a series of killings reported across the country in recent days.

Sources told, that that the incident happened early Thursday morning in Ishkashim district when Lailuma Maftoon was on her way to her restaurant. She reportedly owned a women-only restaurant in the district’s local market.

The district is one of the most remote areas in the northeastern province.

The motive for the killing remains unclear, and no group has claimed responsibility.

Taliban have not publicly commented on the incident.

The killing comes amid rising concern among citizens over an apparent increase in targeted attacks and killings carried out by unidentified armed men in several provinces.

Over the past three days, residents and local sources have reported multiple killings in Nangarhar, Kabul, Herat and other parts of the country.

Earlier this week, a prominent tribal elder, Hajiullah Nazar, was shot dead by motorcycle-riding gunmen in Surkh Rod district of Nangarhar province in the east, according to local sources and Taliban police officials.

In Herat, the head of the province’s metalworkers’ union and a well-known landowner was also killed in a knife attack by unidentified assailants. Earlier, a 12-year-old girl was killed in Raghistan district of Badakhshan, while Badakhshani woman Badriya Jalali was also killed in a separate attack in Kabul.

Although Taliban say security has improved since their return to power in 2021, residents and rights observers have continued to report incidents of unexplained killings, armed attacks and disappearances in different parts of the country.

Targeted killings and violent incidents involving women continue to raise concerns in Afghanistan, particularly in remote provinces where security oversight and law enforcement capacity remain limited.

Badakhshan, a mountainous province bordering Tajikistan, China and Pakistan, has witnessed periodic security incidents in recent years, including armed clashes, attacks linked to militant groups and disputes involving local commanders.

The death of a woman identified as Liza in Kabul has ignited widespread concern, with her family alleging she was killed after years of domestic abuse, while her husband’s family claims she died by suicide.

According to Liza’s father, Shamsuddin Shams, his daughter endured more than a decade of violence at the hands of her husband, Hasibullah Sarwari. He claims she had repeatedly shared details of physical abuse, including severe beatings, prior to her death.

Shams alleges that when Liza’s condition became critical, she was taken to a private hospital in Kabul for treatment. However, he says members of her husband’s family intervened, preventing doctors from carrying out essential medical procedures such as CT scans and MRI tests. He further claims that Liza’s sisters were physically assaulted at the hospital while trying to ensure she received care.

Liza reportedly died shortly after being admitted.

The family also accuses the husband’s relatives of attempting to interfere with the investigation. According to Shams, they tried to influence hospital staff and obstruct a full forensic examination by insisting the death be recorded as a suicide. Documents cited by the family indicate that only an external examination of the body was permitted, with internal forensic procedures blocked.

In the aftermath of the incident, Shams says his family has been subjected to serious threats. He claims relatives of Sarwari have issued warnings of further violence, including statements suggesting that others in the family could be targeted.

According to the family, tensions in Liza’s marriage had escalated in recent months after she learned that her husband was engaged to another woman. This reportedly led to repeated conflicts and intensified abuse.

Shams maintains that his daughter suffered severe injuries prior to her death, including broken bones and head trauma. He believes these injuries ultimately led to her death.

No official, independent findings on the cause of death have been publicly released, and the case remains a subject of dispute.

An earthquake in Afghanistan has killed eight members of the same family when their home collapsed in the Gosfand Dara area of Kabul province.

Health Ministry spokesman Sharafat Zaman said on Saturday that a child aged around two years old was the only survivor. Afghanistan’s disaster management agency said the boy was injured.

The 5.8-magnitude quake struck at 8:42pm local time on Friday at a depth of 186km (115 miles). The epicentre was in the northeastern province of Badakhshan.

The capital Kabul is about 290km southwest of the epicentre.

There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage in areas closer to the epicentre. The province is remote so it can often take several hours before local authorities can relay information back to Kabul.

Strong tremors were felt in multiple parts of Afghanistan, including Kabul and the Indian capital New Delhi, witnesses told the Reuters news agency.

Pakistan also felt the quake, including in the capital Islamabad and Peshawar, Chitral, Swat and Shangla. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

Previous quakes

Afghanistan is frequently jolted by earthquakes along the Hindu Kush mountain range – near the junction of the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates. On average, 560 people are killed by quakes there every year.

The deadliest tremor in the country’s recent history struck last August. The shallow magnitude 6 earthquake in eastern Afghanistan wiped out mountain villages, killing at least 2,200 people

Most casualties were in Kunar province, where Afghans typically live in wood and mud-brick houses along steep valleys.

Impoverished Afghanistan often faces difficulty in responding to natural disasters, especially in remote regions.

Many homes in rural and outlying areas are poorly built with bricks, wood and mud.

A deadly shooting attack on civilians in western Afghanistan has left at least 11 people dead and several others wounded, highlighting ongoing security concerns in the country.

The incident occurred on Friday afternoon in the Deh Miri area of Injil district, Herat province, where a group of civilians had gathered for leisure. Local sources say four armed individuals riding two motorcycles arrived in the village of Deh Miri in the Injil district, first separated the men from the women and children, and then opened fire on them. According to these sources, the gunmen also fired at women and children who attempted to flee.

Initial reports from Taliban officials put the death toll at seven, with 13 injured. Local sources, however, put the death toll at no fewer than 35, saying that due to the large crowd gathered at the recreational area and the shrine, the actual number of casualties is likely higher than the figures released by the Taliban.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. Taliban officials say one suspect has been arrested, and efforts are ongoing to identify and detain others involved.

A lot of citizens, particularly residents of Herat, called the Taliban a failure at providing security for the people, saying that instead of hiring mullahs to harass women and men on the streets, they should be focused on preventing such deadly incidents. These citizens also alleged that the Taliban were directly involved in this incident.

Local sources in Nuristan province say that as a result of gunfire attributed to Pakistani forces targeting a vehicle in Kamdesh district, a woman health worker and her three-year-old child have been killed, and three others injured.

According to the sources, the incident occurred on the morning of 18th March in the Bagicha area of Kamdesh district. It is said that the health worker was on his way home for the Eid holiday when the vehicle carrying her came under fire.

Among the injured are the health worker’s husband, another son, and the driver of the vehicle.

Based on available information, the health worker was employed at a medical center in Kamdesh district and had intended to travel home.

A new penal code issued by decree in Afghanistan sets harsher punishments for the mistreatment of animals than for domestic violence against women and solidifies into law inequality based on gender and social status.

The decree, which was signed by Afghanistan’s Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada in January, “defines several crimes and punishments that contravene Afghanistan’s international legal obligations,” U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said Thursday in remarks to the Human Rights Council in Geneva.

He urged Afghan authorities to rescind the decree.

Comprised of 119 articles, the 60-page Decree No. 12 lays out penalties for women who visit their relatives without their husband’s permission, and allows husbands and the heads of households to determine and mete out punishment in their own homes.

“It provides for the use of corporal punishment for numerous offenses, including in the home, legitimizing violence against women and children,” Turk said. “And it criminalizes criticism of the de facto leadership and their policies, in violation of freedom of expression and assembly.”

The decree states that a man who beats his wife severely enough to cause a visible cut, wound or bruise faces 15 days in prison – if his wife can prove her case to a judge. But a woman who goes to her father’s house and stays there without her husband’s permission is punished by a three months in prison, as are her relatives if they do not return her to her husband.

The decree “formally removes equality between men and women before the law,” U.N. Women Special Representative in Afghanistan Susan Ferguson said in a statement released Wednesday. “It places husbands in a position of authority over their wives and limits women’s ability to seek protection or justice.”

Penalties are harsher for mistreating animals than women. Five months in prison is the punishment for anyone having animals or birds fight. Animal and bird fighting, particularly cockfights and fights between partridges, is a popular pastime in Afghanistan but was banned after the Taliban seized power in 2021.

Afghan authorities have often issued laws laying out various prohibitions, including bans on education for girls beyond primary school, on women working in most jobs, and mandates on how women should dress and behave. But the decree is the first full penal code issued by the government.

The new penal code also lays out different treatment for the same crime depending on social class, ranging from simple warnings for clerics to corporal punishment for those deemed to be at the lowest social rungs.

Scholars and “high-ranking people” face a warning from a judge; tribal leaders and businessmen receive a warning and a court summons; “average people of society” face imprisonment; and “the lower classes” are subject to physical beatings. If an offender is sentenced to a maximum 39 lashes, they must be to “different parts of the body,” the decree states.

However, the differing treatment does not apply in murder cases, where anyone found guilty faces the death penalty. The other capital offense is insulting the Prophet Muhammad, although in that case the death penalty can be converted to six years imprisonment if the offender repents.

Speaking in Geneva, Turk called on Afghan authorities to “reverse their course on excluding half the population. Women and girls are the present and the future, and the country cannot thrive without them.”

Local sources in Badakhshan Province say that a young woman has died by suicide in the city of Fayzabad, the provincial capital.

A source in Fayzabad, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the young woman took her own life on the evening of February 15th in the Old City area of Fayzabad.

According to the source, the 21-year-old woman ended her life by ingesting rat poison.

The source added that she was a graduate in nursing and had reportedly been facing ongoing domestic violence at home. She was said to have endured repeated physical and psychological abuse, which ultimately led her to take her own life.

Domestic violence remains a serious and widespread issue in Afghanistan and is considered one of the leading drivers of self-harm and suicide among women across the country. Rights groups have repeatedly warned that abuse within homes contributes to a high number of suicide cases nationwide.

So far, local Taliban officials in Badakhshan Province have not commented on the incident.

Local sources in Kabul report that the dismembered body of a woman was discovered in the Kabul River. The incident reportedly occurred on Sunday, January 14, 2026, in the Chehelston area of Kabul, where Taliban forces secured the scene after the body was found. Witnesses say the body was retrieved from a sack in the river after being spotted by children scavenging through trash. Another source indicated that the body had initially been found in a trash bin before being thrown into the river.

Taliban authorities did not allow any photography at the scene and prevented people from approaching the body. They have also not provided any information regarding the victim’s identity, the motive behind the killing, or how the case will be investigated. The lack of transparency has heightened concerns over security and accountability in the city

Taliban morality enforcers (Religious police) disrupted a graduation ceremony for medical students in Herat on 16 January, entering the venue while armed and halting the program. During the incident, more than 50 graduates were forced to remove their neckties in front of hundreds of attendees.

A video from the event shows armed Taliban members, including one carrying a Kalashnikov, going onto the stage and interrupting the host as he spoke about Afghanistan’s future and the role of educated youth. Following the intervention, the host asked the graduates to leave the stage.

The Taliban have previously claimed that neckties are anti-Islamic, arguing that they are a symbol of Western culture and resemble the Christian cross, making them unacceptable under their interpretation of Islamic dress codes.

The incident has sparked widespread criticism from citizens and social media users, many of whom described the act as humiliating and a clear violation of personal freedoms and civil rights.

Herat, Afghanistan — Khadija Ahmadzada, a 22-year-old Afghan athlete and women’s taekwondo coach, was detained by Taliban “morality” forces on January 10, 2026 while training female students at a hidden sports club in Herat’s Jebrail district, according to local sources.

Ahmadzada — who has been involved in taekwondo as both a competitor and coach and is reported to have been a member of Afghanistan’s national taekwondo team — worked to create opportunities for girls and young women to train in the sport despite severe restrictions on women’s public activities under Taliban rule.

Her father and the owner of the facility were also arrested at the same time, and all three remain held in the central prison in Herat. The family’s efforts to promote women’s sport have drawn concern from rights defenders after the arrest.

The detention has sparked protests from Afghan women’s rights activists and sports figures, who denounce the arrests as an affront to basic freedoms and call for her immediate release.

Richard Bennett, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, has urged the Taliban to ensure Ahmadzada’s safety and release her, highlighting the detention as part of a broader pattern of intimidation against women professionals across the country.

On January 5, 2026, a young woman named Mehr Sana was shot and killed by her former husband in front of Afghanistan’s Ministry of Finance in Kabul.

The ministry is located near the Presidential Palace, in one of the city’s busiest areas with heavy daily pedestrian and vehicle traffic.

Despite the area’s proximity to key government buildings and its high visibility, the attacker managed to escape after the shooting.

The killing underscores the persistent dangers faced by women even after separation or divorce. Violence by former spouses remains a serious threat, while protection mechanisms for women facing such risks are limited.

The incident reflects the broader pattern of violence against women in Afghanistan, where domestic abuse and targeted killings continue amid weak accountability and inadequate timely intervention.

In the annual report of the research, dated December 31, 2025, it was noted that after Afghanistan, Yemen, Sudan, Haiti, and Burundi had the lowest ratings regarding women's safety and their rights. In Afghanistan, the social situation of women was evaluated based on three main criteria: inclusivity, justice, and safety. The safety of women in the country and the way they are treated are significantly lower compared to other countries, and women are part of the most vulnerable and unprotected social group in Afghanistan.

Due to numerous restrictions on women's rights to education and employment, their access to basic services and humanitarian aid is severely limited. This situation has placed Afghanistan in one of the lowest spots in the UN Gender Development Index, just after Yemen.

Furthermore, Afghanistan’s streets are not considered safe for women. The "Taliban" interim government strictly controls women’s behavior in public spaces, which restricts their freedom of movement, increasing the instability and insecurity in the country.

Local sources in Takhar’s Chah Ab district say that Farkhunda, a 17-year-old girl who married the son of a powerful local figure about a month and a half ago, has been killed under suspicious circumstances in Kabul.

Sources said on the night of Sunday, November 16, 2025, that Farkhunda married Emadullah, the son of Haji Malang, 45 days ago, a marriage that, according to relatives, had been “forced” by the groom’s family, with Emadullah pressured by his father and brother to accept it.

Relatives of Farkhunda say she lived in an environment of pressure and violence after the marriage.

According to them, two nights ago, her body was found in an apartment near her mother-in-law’s home in Kabul’s Gulbahar Center.

Farkhunda’s family describes her death as “unnatural” and says that when they attempted to transfer the body to the forensic department for examination, they were threatened by Haji Malang’s sons.

According to the family, Farkhunda’s body was buried quickly, without her father’s consent and without any investigation.

Abdulmutalib Haqqani, spokesperson for the Ministry, told TOLOnews: "During this period, 24,787 families returned from Pakistan, 1,251 families from Iran, and 6 families from Turkey."

Among the returnees are not only children but also adults like Noorullah and Mohammad Amir, who have returned to their homeland for the first time and recount their painful experiences of losing shelter while living abroad.

Noorullah, deported from Pakistan, said: “We stayed at the border for two weeks, then one week in Kandahar, and now four days here in Kabul’s camp. So far, no vehicle has come to take us to our province.”

Mohammad Amir, another deportee from Pakistan, said: “Pakistani police came every day and gave us deadlines. One day they’d say we had one week, the next day they’d say three days. In the end, they forced us out.”

Mullah Gul, also deported from Pakistan, told TOLOnews: “Pakistan treated us harshly, took our money and phones just because I’m Afghan?”

The returnees are calling for more assistance and the creation of employment opportunities.

Abdulhamid, deported from Pakistan, said: “There are many problems. How will our children survive this winter? We need help, jobs, and shelter.”

Gulbuddin, another deportee, said: “They should increase their aid what we are receiving is not enough.”

While the returnee camp in Kabul still houses over 7,000 individuals, officials of the Islamic Emirate have called on neighboring countries to stop the forced deportation of Afghan refugees.

A large crowd gathered for the players' funeral on Saturday

Afghanistan has pulled out of an upcoming cricket series after three players in a local tournament were killed in an air strike it blamed Pakistan for.

The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) said it would withdraw from November's tri-nation T20 series out of respect for the dead. The three did not play for the national team.

The strike hit a home in Urgon district in Paktika province, where the players were eating dinner after a match, witnesses and local officials told the BBC.

Eight people were killed, the ACB said. Pakistan said the strike hit militants and denied targeting civilians.

The ACB named the three players who were killed as Kabeer Agha, Sibghatullah and Haroon, calling their deaths "a great loss for Afghanistan's sports community, its athletes, and the cricketing family".

The International Cricket Council (ICC) said it was "deeply saddened and appalled" by the "tragic deaths of three young and promising Afghan cricketers" in an air strike that also "claimed the lives of several civilians".

"The ICC stands in solidarity with the Afghanistan Cricket Board and echoes their grief," it said in a statement, adding that it "strongly condemns this act of violence".

The attack came hours after a temporary truce between Afghanistan and Pakistan was due to expire following days of deadly clashes on the border between the two nations. Dozens of casualties have been reported.

Pakistan said it had targeted Afghan militants in the air strike and that at least 70 combatants had been killed.

Pakistan's Minister of Information Attaullah Tarar said claims that the attack targeted civilians are "false and meant to generate support for terrorist groups operating from inside Afghanistan".

He rejected the ICC's "selective, biased and premature comment", adding it had not cited any "independent verification to substantiate these claims".

The Afghanistan Cricket Board shared this image of the three players who were killed

The Afghanistan Cricket Board shared this image of the three players who were killedIn a social media post, Afghan national team captain Rashid Khan paid tribute to the "aspiring young cricketers who dreamed of representing their nation on the world stage".

Other players for the Afghan national side joined the tributes, including Fazalhaq Farooqi, who said the attack was a "heinous, unforgivable crime".

On Saturday, large crowds of people were seen gathering at the funeral for the strike's victims.

Several coffins laid out in front of a large outdoor crowd in AfghanistanThe strike came after Pakistani officials said seven soldiers were killed in a suicide attack near the Afghan border on Friday.

The 48-hour truce between Afghanistan and Pakistan, which began on Wednesday at 13:00 GMT, has reportedly been extended to allow for negotiations.

An Afghan delegation arrived in the Qatari capital of Doha on Saturday for peace talks with the Pakistani side.

The Taliban government said it would take part in the talks despite "Pakistani aggression", which it says was Islamabad's attempt to prolong the conflict.

Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai said Pakistan should "reconsider its policies, and pursue friendly and civilised relations" with Afghanistan.

Pakistan's Foreign Office said on Saturday that Defence Minister Khawaja Asif would lead the country's delegation in Doha.

It said the talks will focus on ending cross-border terrorism and restoring peace and stability on the Pakistan-Afghan border.

Zimbabwe will now replace Afghanistan in the T20 series.

According to the United Nations, more than nine million people in Afghanistan are facing acute food insecurity with deteriorating malnutrition threatening children and vulnerable families around the country, the local media reported on Thursday.

The World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that the recent earthquake has deteriorated an already dire food security and nutrition crisis in Afghanistan. In its report released on Thursday, the WFP said more than nine people are facing acute food insecurity, while severe malnutrition among children and mothers has reached record levels, leading Afghan news agency Khaama Press reported.

As per the report, the Eastern Afghanistan region, especially Kunar and Nangarhar provinces, have been the most impacted. These areas were already facing critical malnutrition before the earthquakes occurred in Afghanistan and conditions have now further worsened.

The return of Afghan people after repatriation from Pakistan has further increased pressure on scarce humanitarian resources, worsening the situation for both displaced people and host communities.

So far, WFP has provided emergency food assistance to over 58,000 people in Kunar, Laghman and Nangarhar provinces. However, the agency warned that many remote mountainous areas remain cut off due to rough terrain, poor roads and weak communications.

The agency stated that shortages of funds are severely restricting its response capacity. Through the current resources, aid can only be given to fewer than one million people per month, with a funding gap of around USD 622 million for the next six months. Humanitarian experts warned that most vulnerable people, especially women and children, in quake-affected areas, risk facing catastrophic levels of hunger if urgent funds are not provided.

Last month, the WFP warned that hunger in Afghanistan is increasing sharply and raised demand for urgent funding to deliver aid before winter isolates vulnerable communities across the nation. On September 18, the WFP said urgent funding is required to provide food before winter cuts off remote villages, leaving families without important supplies.

WFP's Deputy Executive Director Rania Dagash Kamara stated that needs remain "vast and immediate" and warned that millions of more Afghans could be pushed into extreme hunger in the coming months if new resources are not provided.

The crisis has been further exacerbated by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees' (UNHCR) decision to suspend cash assistance programmes across the nation after September 9 following restrictions imposed on female staff.

Afghanistan's internet and mobile telephone services were down nationwide on Tuesday, and while the Taliban administration offered no immediate explanation, in recent weeks it has voiced concern about pornography online. The Taliban's restrictions on women and freedom of expression have drawn criticism from rights groups and foreign governments since the former insurgents resumed control of Afghanistan in 2021. Here are some other actions the Taliban has taken this year.

BAN ON INTERNET

On September 17, the Taliban administration announced an internet ban across a swathe of northern Afghanistan "to prevent immoral activities". The ban covers five provinces - Kunduz, Badakhshan, Baghlan, Takhar and Balkh - and includes the region's main population centres.

REMOVAL OF SOME BOOKS WRITTEN BY WOMEN

This month, the Taliban also began purging books written by women from the country's universities, the New York Times reported., opens new tabAlong with the book ban, which the Taliban said was in accordance with sharia law, it also instructed universities to drop 18 courses on democracy, human rights and women's studies, the report said.

BAN ON CHESS

In May this year, the Taliban banned chess, citing fears that it was giving rise to gambling, which it considers a vice.The International Chess Federation (FIDE) said it regretted, opens new tab the decision and that the ban would harm the development of the sport and deny opportunities for Afghan players to showcase their talent.

RESTRICTIONS ON FEMALE AID WORKERS

This month, the World Health Organization asked Taliban authorities to lift restrictions on Afghan female aid workers, to allow them to travel without male guardians and help women struggling to access care after two powerful earthquakes killed 2,200 people in the eastern part of the country.There was no change to the policy.

KABUL, Sept 30 (Reuters) - The Taliban have ordered internet and mobile phone data services to be cut across Afghanistan, diplomatic and industry sources said on Tuesday, as residents and monitoring services reported no connectivity and disruption to flights and financial services.

The Taliban administration offered no immediate explanation for the outage and could not be reached for comment. The UN called on authorities to fully restore connections.

In the past, the Taliban have voiced concern about online pornography, and authorities cut fibre-optic links to some provinces in recent weeks, with officials citing morality concerns.

"The cut in access has left Afghanistan almost completely cut off from the outside world, and risks inflicting significant harm on the Afghan people," the UN said in a statement.

Afghanistan is grappling with the aftermath of an earthquake that hit the east of the country, the return of millions of refugees expelled from neighbouring countries, and a drought in the north.

TALIBAN DIRECTIVES

An Afghan cell phone services provider, which did not want to be named, said it was working alongside other providers "to manage this sensitive and complex situation".

"We are following directives from the authorities and we hope that all telcos in the country will be authorized to recommence services as soon as possible,” the company said.

Internet connectivity in Afghanistan was flatlining around the 1% mark, said NetBlocks, an international internet access monitoring organisation. Connectivity was cut in phases on Monday, with the final stage affecting telephone services, which share infrastructure with the internet, NetBlocks said in an email to Reuters.

Private channel Tolo News, which warned viewers of a disruption to its services, said authorities had set a one-week deadline for the shutdown of 3G and 4G internet services for cell phones, leaving only the older 2G standard active.

The channel also reported disruption for private banks and the central bank, while Kabul's currency market was working off yesterday's exchange rates.

"WE CANNOT COMMUNICATE"

Shabeer, who gave only his first name, said that his job at a private internet service provider had been suspended."People today rely on technology, it is the main way to stay connected with the outside world," he said. "No one knows about the condition of their relatives, and even within Afghanistan, we cannot communicate."

Arafat Jamal, country representative for the U.N. refugee agency, told reporters via satellite link from Kabul that it could no longer reach its frontline aid workers, including those helping with the earthquake response."It is another crisis on top of the existing crisis. It is utterly unnecessary for this kind of interruption to take place, and the impact is going to be on the lives of Afghan people," he said, adding that it was seeking a waiver from the blackout from authorities.

Strictures ordered by the Taliban leadership, based in Kandahar, have grown increasingly hardline.

This month, authorities stopped women working for the UN from entering its offices. Earlier, women were banned from many lines of employment and girls from attending high school.

The Taliban have said they respect women's rights in line with their interpretation of Islamic law.

Women's rights activist Sanam Kabiri said the Taliban had already closed schools, universities, recreation, and sports facilities for women.

"The Taliban are using every tool at their disposal to suppress the people," Kabiri, who is based outside of Afghanistan, told journalists in a video posting."What else do these ignorant men of another century want from our oppressed people?"

Women faced with curbs on leaving their homes to work had turned to the internet for an economic lifeline that allowed some to work from home.

In recent weeks the Taliban have engaged with U.S. officials, especially regarding American citizens detained in Afghanistan, one of whom they released, opens new tab on Sunday.

Sources have confirmed that Taliban members in western Afghanistan shot a man dead and hanged his body in public on Friday, August 22. The incident has drawn condemnation from rights activists who described the act as a summary execution and a violation of human dignity.

Witnesses told Amu that the man was hanged from an old tank at the busy Kandahar Gate area of Herat, where a large crowd gathered to watch. Videos circulating on social media showed Taliban members kicking the body in the head and face as bystanders filmed the scene.

In the footage, a Taliban fighter identified the man as a member of an armed opposition group and accused him of killing two Taliban members, including Mawlawi Hassan Akhund, the commander of Taliban’s 10th security district in Herat. The opposition group “Nahzat Azadi-Bakhsh Islami Mardom Afghanistan” — which has claimed responsibility for attacks in western Afghanistan — had said earlier this week it was behind the assault that killed Akhund.

A piece of paper bearing the words “Death to the Nahzat Azadi-Bakhsh Afghanistan group” was also seen attached to the corpse.

The Taliban’s Herat police command later issued a conflicting statement on X, formerly Twitter, claiming the man was only suspected of theft. The statement said he was identified by residents, detained during a Taliban operation, and “eliminated.”

Rights activists condemned the act as an unlawful killing.

“Taking away someone’s right to life without a fair trial and due process is a blatant violation of human rights,” said Hadi Farzam, a human rights activist. “Hanging the body in public after the killing is a direct affront to human dignity.”

A member of the Window of Hope women’s movement told Amu that Taliban trials deny defendants the right to lawyers or defense. “The Taliban’s use of executions and corporal punishment is intensifying, and taking away the right to life contradicts both justice and Islamic principles,” she said.

This is not the first such incident. In recent years, the Taliban have carried out multiple public executions. Last year, four men accused of kidnapping were shot and hanged in Herat, while earlier this year four more people were executed in Farah, Nimroz, and Badghis provinces.

Afghanistan is seeing its sharpest-ever surge of child malnutrition, the World Food Programme said Monday, adding it needed $539 million to help the country’s most vulnerable families.

Almost 10 million people, a quarter of Afghanistan’s population, face acute food insecurity. One in three children is stunted.

The WFP said the rise in child malnutrition was linked to a drop in emergency food assistance over the past two years because of dwindling donor support. In April, the administration of US President Donald Trump cut off food aid to Afghanistan, one of the world’s poorest countries.

The US had been the largest funder of the WFP, providing $4.5 billion of the $9.8 billion in donations last year. Previous US administrations viewed such aid as serving national security by alleviating conflict, poverty, extremism and curbing migration.

Food insecurity in Afghanistan is being worsened by mass returns from neighboring countries, which are deporting foreigners they say are living there illegally.

The WFP said it has supported 60,000 Afghans returning from Iran in the last two months, a fraction of those crossing the border.

“Going forward, the WFP does not have sufficient funding to cover the returnee response at this time and requires $15 million to assist all eligible returnees from Iran,” said WFP Communications Officer Ziauddin Safi. He said the agency needs $539 million through January to help vulnerable families across Afghanistan.

Climate change is also hurting the population, especially those in rural areas.

Matiullah Khalis, head of the National Environmental Protection Agency, said last week that drought, water shortages, declining arable land, and flash floods were having a “profound impact” on people’s lives and the economy.

Afghan journalists endured ongoing harassment and intimidation from Taliban authorities in July, with the jailing of at least seven media workers. The International Federation of Journalists joins its affiliate, the Afghan Independent Journalists Union (AIJU), in calling for the immediate release of all media workers and an end to the arbitrary detention of media workers.

The arrests were recorded in IFJ monitoring between July 6 to 30. In one incident, three journalists were arrested on July 24 by the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice. The editor in chief of Tawana News Agency and head of the Afghanistan Media Institute, Abuzar Sarempuli, was detained along with two other Tawana journalists, Basheer Hatef and Shakeeb Ahmad Nazari, with authorities alleging Sarempuli received funds from the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), UNESCO, and the Iranian government to allegedly promote women’s employment and publish reports critical of the Taliban. He was subsequently charged with moral corruption and espionage with a “confession” filmed and released by the Taliban. The status of all three remains unknown.

On July 15, Pixel Media Content Company’s director and deputy director in Kabul, Ahmad Nawid Asghari and Mushtaq Ahmad Halimi, were taken into custody with the Taliban alleging the pair had dubbed an ‘un-Islamic’ television series for foreign media outlets. Both men allegedly pledged adherence to Taliban media directives on July 28, before being released on July 30. On July 21, an unidentified media worker was detained in Kabul, accused of providing technical support to exiled Afghan news outlets. On July 6, an unnamed provincial journalist was arrestedfor reporting deemed inconsistent with Taliban-approved narratives and released after two days.

In the same period, three journalists held in long-term custody were released. Islam Totakhil and Ahmad Zia Amanyar, from the jointly operated Radio Jawanan and Radio Begum, were released on July 30. They had been detained since January 2025, when the Taliban shuttered both stations and were accused of sharing content on social media about former Afghanistan women cricketers now living in Australia. Radio Khoshhal’s editor-in-chief, Solaiman Rahil, was also released a day later, on July 31 after being arrested on May 5 for posting a video on Facebook about two impoverished women which allegedly criticised a senior Taliban media official.

The use of arbitrary detainment and the intimidation of journalists by the Taliban by the threat of jail has been a frequent tool of the Taliban, with IFJ’s South Asia Press Freedom Report 2024-25 documenting 28 media worker arrests, between May 1, 2024 and April 30, 2025. The 2025 World Press Freedom Index ranked Afghanistan 178 out of 180 countries, ranking the country worse than North Korea and Iran.

The AIJU welcomed the release of six of the journalists as a positive sign from the Taliban but remained concerned about the other ongoing detentions in the country.

The AIJU said: “AIJU respectfully calls on the authorities of the Islamic Emirate to demonstrate goodwill by facilitating the release of the remaining detainees, many of whom have been in custody for an extended period.”

The IFJ said: “The ongoing jailing of journalists under dubious charges, draconian media directives, and shuttering of independent outlets demonstrate the parlous media environment in Afghanistan. The Taliban should respect media rights and cease the jailing and persecution of independent and critical media.”

In a renewed and intensified assault on women's freedoms, the Taliban has launched a wave of arbitrary arrests across Afghanistan, targeting women and girls accused of violating the group’s extreme interpretation of hijab rules. Over the past week alone, dozens of women have been detained in Kabul, Herat, and Mazar-e-Sharif, under vague and ever-changing standards of “modesty,” with no due process or legal justification.

These arrests are taking place in public spaces — streets, shopping malls, cafes, and university campuses — where women are simply trying to go about their daily lives. In Kabul, several women were picked up by Taliban forces from the Shahr-e Naw, Dasht-e-Barchi, and Qala-e-Fataullah areas. Witnesses reported that Taliban agents stopped women in marketplaces, detained them for so-called “bad hijab,” and, in some cases, physically assaulted them before forcing them into vehicles. They were held in so-called “morality centers” and only released after their male guardians signed written guarantees to “correct” their behavior.

In Herat, at least 26 women were arrested in recent days, many of them young and some reportedly underage. Taliban officials confirmed the detentions, claiming the women had been warned previously, and justifying the arrests with threats of escalating punishment. These women were taken to facilities run by the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice — a feared institution that now acts as a religious police force.

Mazar-e-Sharif saw similar scenes when Taliban agents stormed a shopping center and arrested around ten women, accusing them of not covering their faces fully. Those arrested were reportedly held without access to legal representation, family contact, or medical care. Local reports suggest that some families are now too afraid to let their daughters leave home, fearing they could be next.

The United Nations and human rights watchdogs have condemned these arrests, describing them as serious violations of international law and a clear sign of Afghanistan’s descent into gender apartheid. However, the Taliban shows no signs of backing down. Instead, officials from the Ministry have doubled down on their threats, announcing that any woman found to be wearing a “bad hijab” will be punished immediately, without prior warning.

These acts are not about religion — they are about domination. The Taliban is using hijab enforcement as a political weapon to silence and erase women. By criminalizing ordinary clothing choices, they are sending a chilling message: women do not belong in public, and any attempt to assert their presence will be met with force. This is a continuation of the Taliban's systematic dismantling of women's rights, which includes bans on girls’ education beyond sixth grade, prohibitions on women working with NGOs and international organizations, and harsh restrictions on mobility and appearance.

Despite the growing repression, many Afghan women are resisting — refusing to disappear, documenting abuses, and speaking out even at great personal risk. But their voices are being met with indifference from much of the international community. The time for symbolic condemnation has passed. The Taliban’s actions amount to a sustained campaign of gender-based persecution, and they must be treated as such. Without concrete international pressure, the regime will continue its war on women unchecked, emboldened by the silence of a world that once promised to stand with the Afghan people.

Photos published by The Telegraph.

More than 200 Afghan soldiers and police murdered by the Taliban since a “kill list” was leaked by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) have been named in a dossier.

Their names were compiled by independent caseworkers highlighting the plight of Afghans who worked with British and US forces.

But a court order imposed by a senior judge prevents The Telegraph from reporting whether the dead had first appeared on the MoD list, which was accidentally made public in February 2022.

The Taliban claims the MoD list came into its possession in 2022 and that it has been hunting down those identified in it ever since.

The Telegraph can disclose that a unit of the Taliban’s special forces – known as Yarmok 60 – has been assigned to locate them.

The list recorded applicants to an asylum scheme run by the MoD that was intended, following the fall of Kabul in 2021, to give sanctuary to Afghans who had worked with British troops.

It remains unclear how many of those on the list were identified by the Taliban, tracked down and murdered as a consequence.

John Healey, the Defence Secretary, admitted on Wednesday that he was “unable to say for sure” whether anyone had been killed as a result of the data breach.

But he insisted that, three years on from the leak, it was “highly unlikely” that being on the list would now increase the risk of being targeted by the Taliban.

Col Toorjan was killed with several family members last June


Hamidullah Khosti was killed on July 23 last year


Muzamil Nejrabi was killed in Kapisa province


Hayatullah Nizami’s body was found in northern Taloqan city


Abdul Rahman Delawar

A super-injunction was lifted by the High Court on Tuesday, allowing the leak to be reported for the first time. But a court order remains in place that prevents using the database to reveal the identities of Afghans who may have been targeted as a result.

Among the former Afghan special forces soldiers killed by the Taliban since the list was leaked are young and middle-aged men assassinated by the new regime in different parts of the country, some with their family members.

Col Toorjan, a police commander in southern Helmand, was killed with several family members as he was leaving a mosque on June 24 last year.

One month later, Taliban forces shot and killed another former government army officer in the eastern Khost province.

The Taliban executed Hamidullah Khosti on July 23 in the Alishar district. He had arrived there the previous day to attend a wedding ceremony.

Despite a general amnesty declared by Hibatullah Akhundzada, the Taliban supreme leader, the group has continued to arrest and kill former government military personnel and employees for nearly four years.Another former government army officer was shot and killed by Taliban forces in Kapisa province in July 2022, five months after the list was leaked.

Muzamil Nejrabi was killed at night in Arbab Khil village in the Nejrab district of Kapisa province.

The young man had left his home at 10.30pm to irrigate his agricultural fields when he was shot by soldiers from the Taliban’s Fifth Battalion, First Brigade, stationed in Kapisa. He died on the way to the hospital.

Friends said he had got married three months before his assassination.

In February last year, the bloody corpse of Hayatullah Nizami, a former operations commander of the third security zone in northern Taloqan city, was discovered in the Bishkapa area, near the Taliban army brigade of the city in Takhar province.

According to a local source, Nizami, previously a member of the security forces, had been working as an employee at a company that collaborated with the Taloqan municipality following the fall of the Western-backed government.He disappeared with his vehicle the night before, and his dismembered body was found the following day.

Local sources reported that, after the body was discovered, the Taliban named him as Hamidullah, a municipality employee, in order to conceal his military background.

On Aug 21 last year, Taliban fighters dragged Abdul Rahman Delawar, the former security commander of Shekhel district, from his home and killed him, according to local media.

Delawar had fled to Iran following the fall of Kabul and had recently returned to his ancestral village where he was living a normal life.

The dossier of 200 Afghans killed since the leak was put together by the independent caseworker – known only as Person A – who first raised the alarm over the data breach.

She sent an email to James Heappey, the Armed Forces minister at the time, in which she warned “how severe the negligence has been in terms of data security”.

She added: “The Taliban may well now have a 33,000-long kill list – essentially provided to them by the UK Government.”

She sent the email on Aug 15 2023, after an anonymous user on Facebook threatened to publish the leaked data.It had been accidentally released 18 months earlier by a British soldier tasked with vetting Afghans seeking asylum under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (Arap).

Person A was subsequently subject to the super-injunction in September 2023, which prevented her – along with newspapers – from even mentioning its existence.

The dossier compiled by Person A and other caseworkers was passed to The Telegraph after the super-injunction was lifted, to serve as a snapshot of Afghans who worked with coalition troops and are believed to have subsequently been targeted by the Taliban.

The identities of those killed were gleaned from posts in local Afghan press and on social media as well as through contacts on the ground. The Telegraph has been unable to verify independently the names contained in the dossier of those killed and the circumstances in which they died.

Person A said Afghans may have applied to the Arap scheme – even if they had not worked with British troops – as a means to securing a safe haven.

But it also means Afghans who had no association with the UK military may have been put in danger simply by applying to the Arap scheme.

Person A said: “The issue we have is we have no way of knowing whether the people in our dossier had applied for the Arap scheme or not. There are an awful lot of people who didn’t comply with Arap but applied through Arap.”