Search Results

Photo: AI The deprivation of girls from education has entered its fifth year, years that for many schoolgirls have been marked by forced marriage, worsening mental health problems, hard labour, isolation, confusion and being kept away from the path of education and their dreams. Nearly five years after the Taliban took control of Afghanistan and consolidated its exclusive rule, girls have remained deprived of education. After years of waiting for schools and universities to reopen, a number of girls have now turned to hard labour and say the ban on education has distanced them from their dream of studying and forced them to struggle for a piece of bread. These students speak of their school memories and longing at a time when they no longer have much hope that schools will reopen or that their lessons will resume. They say the five lost years are irreparable, and after a long wait, they have been forced to turn to work such as carpet weaving, tailoring, street vending and embroidery, jobs they do for low wages and under difficult conditions. Aziza is one of the students who was studying in the ninth grade. If schools had not been closed, she would now be in her first year of university, attending her classes instead of sitting behind a sewing table. She says she was forced to take up tailoring to cope with the depression she developed after being deprived of education. Aziza speaks about the difficulties of tailoring work, “I start tailoring at seven in the morning and continue until four in the afternoon. Sometimes I even forget lunch and cannot eat because I have to work. These days, there is no trace of dreaming anymore. It is as if I have completely run out of strength and am just getting through life. There are no lessons, no school. I just go to work and return home.” Aziza considers her memories of school and the days she spent with her classmates to be the best days of her life. She says that if girls had known they would no longer be able to go to school, they would have made more beautiful memories and would not have complained about any exam. he says, “One of the beautiful memories I have from school, and one that has come to my mind like a spark again and again over these five years, is from a day when I was walking with my friends in the schoolyard. After the painful explosion that had happened at our school, many sentences had been written on the walls, and we read them aloud. One sentence I will never forget was, My homeland, I will build you. In the end, I will build you myself.” Aziza adds, “I do not know how to express how much I miss going to school, and how much I miss the jokes, conversations and laughter with my classmates. Most of all, I miss the stress and worries of exams. If we had known such a day would come, we would never have complained about exams.” Nilofar is another student who has turned to hard labour and weaves carpets from morning until evening. She works alongside her elderly father in difficult economic conditions to meet her family’s needs. While missing school and dreaming of going to university, Nilofar describes the hardships of carpet weaving: “After the schools were closed, I was forced to weave carpets. Carpet weaving is very hard work and has even caused me injuries several times. But I am forced to work because I have to help my elderly father, who is unable to work, and also save myself from depression.” Nilofar still hopes that one day she will be able to resume her studies, but she does not know from which grade she would have to begin after schools reopen. She says, “It has been almost five years since I was deprived of going to school, but I hope that one day the school doors will reopen for girls and we will once again be able to continue our studies. At the same time, I worry about which grade I would have to start from when schools reopen. I dreamed of going to university and studying law, but reaching my dream has become more distant. Even so, I am certain that one day I will achieve my dreams. That is why sometimes I return to my school books and read a few pages to relive the sweet memories of school.” Asnat is a sixth grade student and, under the restriction imposed by the Taliban, this will be her final academic year. She says with concern, “This is the last year I will go to school, and that is why I am very upset. I dream of becoming an engineer and serving my people. That is why I want the Taliban not to prevent girls from going to school.” Marzia is another girl deprived of school. After a long wait, she too has been forced to take up tailoring, work that has caused her to forget lessons and school and struggle for a piece of bread. Like a number of other students, Marzia misses school and her classmates, and says she no longer has hope that the doors of schools will reopen. She says, “Tailoring is very hard work. I did not expect that one day I would be forced to do this. I wanted to become a doctor and wear my white coat instead of sewing clothes, but suddenly everything was destroyed. Our five years passed in vain, and this is irreparable. I no longer have hope that the doors of schools will reopen and girls will study.” The bitter accounts of girls deprived of education reflect a setback whose consequences are not limited to their individual lives, but also affect the future of society. This comes as female students say that over the past five years, the deprivation of girls from school has become normalised among the public, and public silence has made it easier for this situation to continue.

Photo: ©Ali Khara/Reuters UN Women said in a new report that women and girls in Afghanistan are facing a worsening humanitarian crisis. The organisation identified Taliban restrictions, poverty, climate crises and cuts in humanitarian funding as factors intensifying the situation. The report, titled “Gender Alert on the Humanitarian Situation in Afghanistan 2025”, was published by UN Women in Afghanistan and the Afghanistan Gender in Humanitarian Action Working Group. According to the report, around 21.9 million people in Afghanistan will require humanitarian assistance in 2026, including more than 10.7 million women and girls. UN Women said Taliban restrictions on women’s movement, education and work have reduced their access to humanitarian assistance and healthcare services and limited their income generating opportunities. According to the organisation, these restrictions have made women led households more vulnerable. The report states that widows and women led households face higher levels of poverty, hunger, displacement and security risks compared with male led households. According to the report, 41 percent of women led households experienced periods without food at home in the past month due to lack of resources, and 42 percent went to bed hungry. The report says economic pressure and food insecurity have forced some families into child labour, withdrawing children from school, begging and child marriage. According to the findings, 4 percent of women led households had married off their daughters at an early age, while the figure for male led households was 1 percent. UN Women also said that more than half of school age girls in Afghanistan are deprived of education. According to the report, 58 percent of school age girls are out of school, compared with 27 percent of boys. The report added that women’s access to healthcare services has also been affected. According to the findings, restrictions on female healthcare workers, the closure of women’s medical training centres and funding cuts have weakened Afghanistan’s healthcare system, and 167 health centres were closed in 2025 alone. UN Women called for strengthening gender responsive humanitarian assistance, supporting women led households and ensuring safe access for women and girls to healthcare, education, employment opportunities and humanitarian aid.

Photo: UNMAS The Taliban’s police command in Maidan Wardak says six children have been injured in a mine explosion in Daimirdad district of the province. In a statement, the command said the explosion occurred on Wednesday evening (6 May) in the Ormaro area of Daimirdad district. According to the statement, the explosion happened when the children were playing with an unexploded hand mine. The Taliban said the injured were transferred to Maidan Shahr Provincial Hospital for treatment. However, the health condition of three of the injured children has been described as critical. This incident comes after two similar explosions in Nangarhar and Parwan provinces two days earlier, in which two children were killed and four others were injured.

Social Media Local sources in Badakhshan say that Lailuma, the wife of Salam Maftoon, a local singer from the province, has been killed by unidentified armed men. According to sources, the incident took place at around 8:30 am on Thursday (7 May) in the market of Ishkashim district in Badakhshan province. Sources said that Lailuma was attacked with a hunting weapon by unidentified individuals while on her way to her tailoring workshop. She owned a tailoring workshop in the women’s market in Ishkashim. According to sources, Lailuma was first injured and later died after being transferred to hospital. The Taliban’s police command in Badakhshan has also confirmed her killing. Ehsanullah Kamgar, spokesperson for the Taliban police command in Badakhshan, said that investigations into the incident have begun. So far, the perpetrators and motive behind the killing remain unknown. Sources also said that Lailuma was from the Ismaili Shia community of Badakhshan and is survived by five children. It is worth noting that Salam Maftoon, Lailuma’s husband, is a local singer from Badakhshan and had previously been detained by the Taliban. This incident comes as insecurity, targeted killings, armed robberies and enforced disappearances have increased in recent days in several provinces of Afghanistan.

AI Sudaba, a pseudonym for an Afghan woman journalist, worked for years at a local media outlet in Herat, Afghanistan. After the Taliban’s return to power and restrictions on women’s presence in the media, she says she lost not only her job, but also her homeland and dignity. In an interview with Zan News, she speaks about migration, unemployment, insecurity and the days when her life shifted from journalism to hardship and vulnerability. The third ring of the phone call had not yet ended when a tired voice answered with a brief “hello”, the voice of a woman who once spoke with strength and energy from the studio of a local media outlet in Herat to thousands of listeners, but now sounded distant, quiet and broken. As soon as I greeted her, she fell silent for a few moments. There was a long pause on the phone, as if she had lost her words. She then began speaking again, but this time her voice trembled. She broke down in tears and her crying voice faded between her words. In a tired voice, she says, “One day I was a journalist, the next day I was nothing.” As Sudaba speaks about separation, she adds that to provide for her sick mother and two younger sisters, she had to knock on every door. According to her, she had no choice left, and the only path that remained open to her was leaving her homeland. A path she herself calls “an escape from silence”. Speaking further about her life in Iran, Sudaba says, “In Iran, life did not go as I had imagined. First, I found work in a restaurant, but I could not continue. Then I went to a tailoring workshop, where I hoped I could breathe again. But before long, they told me I no longer needed to come. Once again, the doors were closed.” She pauses. She takes a deep breath and continues more quietly, “I used to go to people’s houses to clean…” Her voice trembles again. She speaks of experiences that are difficult for her to recount, of houses that were supposed to be workplaces, but became unsafe places for her. In a broken voice, she says, “I was raped several times. I wanted to work, but there was nothing I could do. I was pushed to the limit. I wanted to be a source of pride for my mother, but now I am nothing to myself except a source of shame. I trapped myself in this situation only because of my mother and sisters. Now there is nothing left for me here, except that everyone thinks I am a prostitute.” Her words break, and the silence between her sentences becomes heavier than the account itself. She is the sole provider for her family. Her father is no longer alive, and her brother was killed in the war against the Taliban before the group returned to power. Now Sudaba remains alone with a responsibility that grows heavier each day. She says, “If I do not work, there is no one else. The most money I can earn in a month is 10 million tomans, and half of that goes to my own expenses. Many times, I have slept on the streets…” Sudaba says she has repeatedly tried to rebuild her life, but each time something has pulled her back. She says, “I knocked on every door … but no door opened.” Her voice now sounds more exhausted than before, like someone who has lost even the hope that any door will ever open again. Sudaba’s story reflects the fate of women who, following Taliban restrictions on the media, lost not only their jobs, but also saw their security, dignity and future fall into uncertainty. At the end of the call, in a voice that is barely audible, she says, “I have reached a point where neither life nor the future has any meaning for me anymore. I am just alive, that is all.” The call ends, but her tearful voice continues to linger in the mind.

Photo: © AFP The Afghanistan Media Support Organisation, AMSO, has expressed concern over new Taliban restrictions on media content and the selection of guests for political programmes. In a statement released on Wednesday (29 April), the organisation said that the Directorate of Publications of the Taliban’s Ministry of Information and Culture has instructed domestic media to invite only specific individuals to political programmes. According to the statement, only those approved by the Taliban’s Ministry of Information and Culture and issued identification cards are allowed to appear on political programmes. AMSO said this measure is a direct attack on media independence and a clear violation of freedom of expression and the right to access information. The organisation emphasised that media outlets have the right to select programme topics and guests based on professional standards and audience needs. According to AMSO, any external interference in this process weakens the professional identity of the media. The statement added that limiting the diversity of viewpoints is an attempt to control public opinion and silence people’s voices. AMSO called on the Taliban not to obstruct media activities and to ensure the freedom and safety of journalists in line with international principles. This comes as, following the Taliban’s return to power, restrictions on media activity in Afghanistan have increased, and a number of journalists have faced arrest, threats and work related limitations.

Photo: © A. M. Bizouat / AFP FIFA has allowed the Afghan women’s refugee team to participate in its international competitions. According to a report by the Associated Press, the FIFA Council, during its meeting on Tuesday (28 April) in Vancouver, Canada, amended its regulations and recognised a team operating under the name “Afghan United Women”. This decision comes around five years after players of the Afghanistan women’s national team were forced to leave the country following the Taliban’s return to power. Although the deadline for participation in the qualification process for the 2027 Women’s World Cup has passed, “Afghan United Women” will be able to compete in the qualifiers for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Gianni Infantino, FIFA President, said in a statement that the decision was made to support “Afghan United Women” and similar teams so they can take the next steps in coordination with relevant confederations. Khalida Popal, former captain of the Afghanistan women’s national team, said, “For five years, we were told that the Afghanistan women’s national team could never compete again because the men who took over our country would not allow it.” She added that she is proud of FIFA’s decision and that it is the result of collective advocacy for the future of Afghan women. It is worth noting that more than 80 Afghan women players are currently living in Australia, the United States and Europe. The “Afghan United Women” team, which trains under Pauline Hamill, is set to play two exhibition matches during the international window in June. Nazia Ali, an Afghan player based in Australia, said that in recent years they have played under different names, but in their hearts they have always been the national team. She said that wearing the Afghanistan flag again in an official capacity is a feeling she cannot describe. This comes as the Afghanistan women’s national team last played an official match in 2018, and following the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, women’s sports in Afghanistan came to a halt. This FIFA decision shows that despite the exclusion of women from sports inside the country, the advocacy of Afghan women athletes in exile has opened a new path for their participation in international competitions.

Source: Bakhtar News Agency In two separate traffic incidents in Helmand and Ghazni provinces, six people, including two women and one child, have been killed and seven others injured. The Taliban’s police command in Helmand said that in a traffic incident in Khanashin district of the province, three people were killed and four others injured. According to the command, the incident occurred due to the negligence of the driver of a Fielder type vehicle. The injured were transferred to hospital for treatment, and their condition has been reported as stable. In another incident, Khalid Sarhadi, spokesperson for the Taliban’s police command in Ghazni, told Bakhtar News Agency that three people were killed and three others injured following a collision between two passenger vehicles and a cargo truck on the Qarabagh district route. According to Sarhadi, the victims of this incident included two women and one child. He attributed the cause of the accident to driver negligence. This comes as a few days ago, four people were also killed in a traffic incident in Waghaz district of Ghazni province. It is worth noting that driver negligence and failure to observe traffic laws are considered among the main causes of fatal road incidents in the country.

Photo: @FitratHamd/X Hamdullah Fitrat, deputy spokesperson for the Taliban, says that four people have been killed and 70 others injured in rocket and mortar attacks by the Pakistani army on parts of Kunar province. According to Fitrat, the attacks took place this afternoon on Monday (27 April) targeting areas of Asadabad city and Munawwarah district. He added that residential areas, educational facilities and Sayed Jamaluddin Afghan University were also targeted in the attacks. According to Fitrat, a woman, children and around 30 students are among the victims and injured. Fitrat strongly condemned the attacks, saying that targeting civilians, educational centres and public facilities is a clear violation of international principles. He added that such actions increase tensions and cause further suffering for the population. It is worth noting that in recent months, Kunar and Nangarhar have repeatedly been targeted by rocket, artillery and air strikes by the Pakistani army. This attack is the latest in a series of cross border strikes by Pakistan on eastern Afghanistan. Pakistan usually justifies such attacks as operations against Tehrik i Taliban Pakistan, but the Taliban reject these claims and describe the attacks as a violation of national sovereignty and aggression against civilians. So far, Pakistan has not issued an official response to today’s attack.

Months after the arrest of Shakib Ahmad Nazari, Hamid Farhadi and Bashir Hatef, three journalists and media activists, concerns have increased over their situation in Taliban prisons. Media sources and colleagues of these journalists told Zan News that they are being held in unknown conditions and have not been allowed regular visits with their friends. Ali Noor, a journalist in Kabul, told Zan News, “The Taliban have tortured these journalists and do not even allow their friends to visit them.” According to him, restrictions on access to these detained journalists have increased concerns about their health and legal situation. Meanwhile, Najibullah Shaheer, a journalist, considers the arrest of media activists as a sign of increasing pressure on the media in the country. He told Zan News, “By arresting journalists, the Taliban show that they have a problem with the media community and do not want their actions to be reflected through the media.” A source among media activists, who requested anonymity, told Zan News, “There is no transparency in the process of handling the cases of these journalists, and their situation remains concerning.” According to available information, the Taliban have sentenced Shakib Nazari to three years in prison on charges of cooperating with a Japanese media outlet. Hamid Farhadi has also been sentenced to two years in prison on charges of cooperating with the newspaper Etilaat Roz. Details of the legal process for these journalists have not been independently verified. In addition, reports by organisations supporting the media show that restrictions on media activity in Afghanistan have increased. According to one report, in the past year, more than 200 cases of violations of media freedom and violence against journalists were recorded. These include threats, arrests and work related restrictions. Furthermore, the implementation of some Taliban directives, including restrictions on publishing images, has changed the operations of media outlets in several provinces. These restrictions have forced some visual media outlets to suspend or alter their activities. With this trend continuing, media activists have expressed concern about the future of freedom of expression in Afghanistan. They are calling on international organisations to take the situation of journalists in Afghanistan more seriously.