Image: reuters/livemint The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has warned that one month after the devastating earthquakes in eastern Afghanistan, more than 212,000 surviving children are at serious risk of contracting diseases caused by a lack of clean water and proper sanitation. In a statement issued on Thursday (October 16), UNICEF said that 132 water sources in the earthquake-affected areas have been destroyed, leaving families without access to safe drinking water and basic hygiene facilities. According to the organization, health centers in the affected provinces have reported alarming increases in diseases such as skin rashes, dehydration, and acute diarrhea. UNICEF stressed that urgent action is needed to prevent the current situation from turning into a full-scale health crisis. Tajudeen Oyewale , UNICEF Representative in Afghanistan, described the situation as “a perfect storm for a public health disaster,” saying: “Children who survived the earthquake are now living in temporary shelters without clean water or toilets. These conditions could claim the lives of hundreds more children through disease.” UNICEF also warned that the collapse of water and sanitation systems has put women and girls at greater risk of gender-based violence and insecurity in public spaces. Despite ongoing relief efforts, only half of the required 21.6 million USD funding has been secured. The agency urged the international community to increase financial support immediately to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe in Afghanistan. The 6.3-magnitude earthquake that struck eastern Afghanistan in early September killed more than 1,200 children and leveled dozens of villages. According to Save the Children, the victims included more than 500 girls and 650 boys.

Sent to Zan TV The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has expressed concern over the rising civilian casualties in border clashes between the Taliban and the Pakistani army, welcoming the ceasefire announced between the two sides and calling for an immediate end to the violence. In its official statement released on Thursday (October 16), UNAMA said that since October 10, armed clashes between Taliban forces and the Pakistani military have resulted in heavy civilian casualties. According to the statement, the highest number of civilian casualties occurred in Spin Boldak district of Kandahar province, where at least 17 civilians were killed and 346 others injured. Women and children are among the victims. UNAMA also reported that the initial clashes in the provinces of Paktika, Paktia, Kunar, and Helmand resulted in at least 15 injuries and one civilian death. The UN mission urged all parties involved to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law and to adhere to the principles of “distinction, proportionality, and precaution” in military operations to protect civilian lives.

Image sourec: The Nation Following escalating tensions between the Taliban and the Pakistani army, heavy border clashes between the two sides broke out early Wednesday morning (October 15) in Spin Boldak district of Kandahar province, resulting in numerous casualties on both sides. Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban spokesperson, said in a post on X that Pakistani forces attacked Afghan territory using light and heavy weapons, killing more than 12 civilians and injuring at least 100 others. He claimed that Taliban fighters, in a counter-operation, captured “several Pakistani military outposts” and “killed dozens of Pakistani soldiers.” However, the Pakistani army denied these claims and accused the Taliban of initiating the attack. In a statement, Pakistani military officials said their forces had “effectively repelled” Taliban assaults in the border areas of Chaman and Kurram, adding that between 15 and 20 Taliban fighters were killed during the clashes. Meanwhile, Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, expressed concern over civilian casualties and displacement caused by the fighting. He urged both sides to exercise restraint and respect international law. According to local sources, women and children are among the injured, and the fighting lasted for several hours. Reports indicate that the intensity of the clashes overnight forced several families to flee from the border areas. This incident marks the latest escalation in the growing tensions between the Taliban and Pakistan. In recent days, the two countries have repeatedly accused each other of violating border sovereignty. Islamabad accuses the Taliban of harboring fighters from Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Image source: CNN Local sources in Kapisa province say that a Taliban commander ran over a woman with a motorcycle, and she later died in the hospital. According to the sources, the incident took place on Monday (October 13) in the village of Turbat in Kohband district. The sources confirmed that the motorcycle driver, identified as “Amrullah,” is the commander of a Taliban outpost in the village of Darnama, also in Kohband district. The sources added that after the incident, the Taliban arrested and imprisoned the woman’s family for protesting against her death. It is worth noting that reckless driving by Taliban members has previously claimed the lives of several civilians in various provinces. Recently, Taliban forces ran over two children in Laghman province, resulting in their deaths.

Image: AFP/VOAnews In continuation of the Taliban’s repressive policies against the media and fundamental freedoms, the group has once again banned the broadcasting of images of living beings on visual media and online platforms in several provinces of Afghanistan. Reliable sources confirmed to Zan News that the Taliban’s Department for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice in some provinces has informally and verbally warned media owners and journalists that from now on, they must not air images of living beings, especially human faces, including those of presenters, guests, and even cultural or artistic figures in their visual programs. According to these sources, the Taliban have emphasized that faces must either be completely removed or blurred to hide them from viewers. This comes at a time when, in many of these provinces, local media remain the only source of public information, and the directive has effectively suffocated visual journalism. A media official, who requested anonymity for security reasons, told Zan News: “The Taliban have warned us both in person and by phone that if we broadcast images of any living being, they will shut down the outlet. They told us to hide even the faces of presenters and guests. This is no longer journalism, it is absolute censorship.” This Taliban decision continues a chain of restrictions that has shadowed Afghanistan’s media landscape since the group’s return to power in 2021. From banning music and women’s on-screen appearances to arresting journalists, the crackdown has now reached the complete destruction of imagery itself. Media experts and human rights activists view this move as part of the Taliban’s systematic effort to erase freedom of expression and silence every independent voice in the country. A media activist reacting to the Taliban’s order said: “When you cannot show images, when you cannot see reality, what remains is only darkness and distortion. This Taliban action is not just censorship, it is a denial of truth and humanity.” While the Taliban claim that such censorship stems from religious rulings, many Islamic scholars and experts reject this extreme interpretation, describing it instead as a political tool to exert control and suppress the media. In the absence of independent media watchdogs and without any means of civil protest, Afghanistan’s media outlets have either resorted to self-censorship or completely ceased operations. With such decrees, the future of journalism in Afghanistan appears darker and more uncertain than ever before.

Photo: DW/H.Sirat Author: Mursal Qaisari Years have passed since that dark day; the day when Kabul witnessed one of the most painful moments in its history. The day when Farkhunda Malikzada, a young, educated, and faithful woman, was brutally murdered before the eyes of the people on the false accusation of burning the Quran. Later, everyone realized she was innocent, but by then it was too late. Farkhunda, along with all her dreams, was turned to ashes in the fire. They killed her in the heart of Kabul, over a lie that had no proof. They beat Farkhunda, burned her, and threw her into the river; only for defending the truth. Farkhunda was killed unjustly, yet justice was never served. Her killers were either freed or spent only a few years in prison. No one understood her mother’s pain, and no one heard her father’s voice. Farkhunda was forgotten, and everyone remained silent. Exactly one year after her murder, another girl was stoned to death. That year, Ghor fell into mourning and lost its beautiful daughter, Rukhshana. She was stoned for running away from home; for falling in love and for wanting to make her own decisions. But because she was a girl from Afghanistan, this desire was considered an unforgivable sin. Stones struck her body, and with every blow, Rukhshana’s cries carried the silent screams of all women. Rukhshana was killed by stones; only for the crime of loving. She was stoned to death while everyone watched. No one was held accountable; not a court, not a law, not even a conscience. As if no crime had been committed, and stoning was her rightful punishment. I was still just a little girl in those years. When we heard the news about Farkhunda, my mother cried, my sister had nightmares at night, and I? Something broke inside my young heart. From that age, I understood that in my land, to know, to speak, or even to love is a crime. When the videos of Rukhshana’s stoning were broadcast on television, that same terrible feeling came over me again. At night I used to feel afraid, and I had come to hate life. I constantly asked myself: Is simply being a girl truly a crime? I wondered why none of these things ever happen to men. Even today, my mind is full of questions. Sometimes I ask myself: Who still remembers Rukhshana and Farkhunda? The street where Farkhunda was killed is still full of passersby, and the field where Rukhshana was stoned remains silent. But in our hearts, in our collective memory, is there still a place for them? They have been forgotten, and this forgetting itself is terrifying. Forgetting means accepting oppression, erasing the voices of women who were killed simply for speaking and seeking freedom. Farkhunda burned in the fire of ignorance, and Rukhshana lost her life beneath merciless stones. Even now, my heart trembles when I say their names. Writing about those dark days is not easy for me. With every word I write, tears fill my eyes and a lump tightens in my throat. Farkhunda and Rukhshana were not just two women; they represent hundreds of Afghan women who are being buried alive in different corners of Afghanistan. I still hear Farkhunda’s voice in my ears, especially when I pass by a mosque. Every time I look at a mountain, I remember Rukhshana; the beautiful girl who fell in love, but was struck by stones. These events always make me ask myself: Why, in my homeland, are both faith and love considered crimes? For me, Farkhunda and Rukhshana are still the most vivid truths of my homeland today. And I, as a daughter of this land, vow never to let their memory fade, so that one day, if history asks us, “When they were killing your daughters, what did you do?” I can say that we did not remain silent. I wrote, I cried out, and I reminded people of their courage. We will keep the names of Farkhunda and Rukhshana alive in our soil. Every girl who, like me, picks up a pen today should know that she carries on the voices of those two; voices that were silenced, yet became a light for the girls who still fight in the depths of darkness. Though Farkhunda and Rukhshana are no longer among us, they are still alive, in our hearts, in our tears, and in our words. I remember them every day, and as long as I live and hold a pen in my hand, I will never let their names disappear into silence.

Photo: REUTERS Following rising tensions between the Taliban and Pakistan, Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Pakistan’s Defense Minister, has said that the current situation concerning Afghanistan shows that the time has come for Afghan refugees to leave Pakistan after five decades. On Sunday night (October 12), Asif wrote in a post on the social media platform X: “Pakistan’s economy must be freed from their dominance. From bakeries to transportation, projects, and the trucking mafia, everything is under the control of Afghans. They are the backbone of our economy and should not remain in the hands of others.” Asif further emphasized that the Pakistan-Afghanistan border should be controlled like the official borders of other countries and that no one should enter Pakistan without authorization. He added, “It cannot be that someone wakes up in the morning and crosses the border to come to Peshawar for breakfast.” These remarks come a night after heavy clashes broke out between Taliban forces and the Pakistani army in border areas. It is worth noting that since 2023, the Pakistani government has implemented a plan to “deport illegal foreign nationals,” a policy that includes not only undocumented refugees but also some holders of official registration cards (POR). This year, Islamabad has decided to expel more than 1.4 million registered refugees with POR cards as well. Pakistani officials describe this move as part of the country’s national security, anti-smuggling, and border control policies. But, thousands of Afghan refugees, especially women and children, are now facing the imminent risk of arrest and deportation. This deportation policy not only threatens the lives of ordinary refugees but also endangers hundreds of women activists, journalists, and human rights defenders who fled to Pakistan to escape Taliban persecution and are now once again facing the danger of arrest, deportation, and forced return. International organizations, including the United Nations and Amnesty International, have condemned this policy as “inhumane,” warning that forced deportations could lead to a large-scale humanitarian crisis.

Photo: Amu The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has warned that Afghanistan’s education system is facing an unprecedented crisis, with millions of children, especially girls, deprived of going to school. In a report published on Sunday (October 12), UNICEF stated that political restrictions, lack of funding, and successive humanitarian crises have destroyed the educational achievements of the past two decades and have significantly increased inequalities. According to the report, more than two million girls are deprived of education beyond the sixth grade. A shortage of teachers, especially female teachers, along with the lack of school buildings and basic facilities such as electricity, water, and sanitation services, has severely reduced the quality of education. UNICEF’s findings show that nearly half of Afghanistan’s public schools lack proper buildings, 79 percent have no electricity, and many are without access to drinking water or toilets. The report also noted that since the Taliban’s takeover, religious education has made up a significant portion of the curriculum in public schools, with half of class hours now dedicated to Islamic studies; a change that has further limited opportunities to learn modern sciences. According to UNICEF, 90 percent of ten-year-old children in Afghanistan are unable to read a simple text, a clear sign of the country’s worsening learning crisis. The organization added that the return of more than two million migrants from Iran and Pakistan since 2023 has placed additional pressure on the education system. Many returning children, especially girls over the age of twelve, have been unable to continue their studies due to lack of infrastructure and restrictions. It is worth noting that four years after the Taliban’s return to power, girls’ education has not only been banned but the overall educational structure of Afghanistan is collapsing. Poverty, the exclusion of girls from schools, and the weakening of women teachers’ roles have put the future of an entire generation at risk.

Image: AFP UN Women in Afghanistan has said that Afghan girls, despite living through one of the most severe crises in women’s rights, still strive with hope and determination to build their future. The organization wrote in a post on the social network X on Sunday (October 12): “Afghan girls dream of classrooms, shaping their own futures. Despite growing up in the most severe women’s rights crisis, they are hopeful and determined.” UN Women emphasized that it stands alongside Afghan girls and continues to invest in their abilities and their future. This comes while, after the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, secondary and higher education for girls in Afghanistan has been banned; a decision that has made the country the only place in the world with such a restriction. This ban has led to the spread of depression, isolation, and an increase in forced marriages among girls, and has plunged the future of Afghan women and girls into darkness.

Image Source: sidhant/X Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Taliban’s foreign minister, said during a press conference in New Delhi on Sunday (October 12) regarding the ban on girls’ education in Afghanistan: “We have never declared women’s education haram; it has only been postponed until further notice.” The press conference was held at the request of India’s Ministry of External Affairs following widespread outrage over the exclusion of female journalists from the Taliban’s previous press conference. Muttaqi added, “We have 10 million students in schools and institutes, including 2.8 million women and girls. There are restrictions, but we have never declared women’s education haram; it has only been delayed until further notice.” These remarks come as four years have passed since secondary and high schools for girls were closed in Afghanistan, with the Taliban taking no steps toward reopening them. Since the group’s return to power, Afghanistan has become the only country in the world where secondary and higher education for girls is banned. The United Nations and UNESCO have described this policy as a clear example of “gender apartheid.” Muttaqi’s remarks echo the Taliban’s repeated promise of “until further notice”; a phrase that over the past four years has deprived millions of Afghan girls of education, hope, and a future. During this period, the Taliban have not only refused to reopen schools but have also shut down hundreds of educational institutions and forced dozens of female teachers to remain at home.