Social Media Following Sunday night’s deadly earthquake in Kunar province, local sources have raised grave concerns about the critical condition of the injured, particularly women and girls. Residents say the lack of female doctors in health centers has left hundreds of injured women without proper treatment. Mohammad Wali, a local resident, told Zan News with a choked voice: “Most of the injured are women and girls. When they are pulled out from under the rubble, because there are no female doctors, they are not given any medical care. The only option is to transfer them to other provinces, which is full of risks and delays.” This comes as the Taliban’s Ministry of Defense announced one day after the disaster that the death toll had surpassed 700 and the number of injured exceeded 2,000. The earthquake, which struck during the night, destroyed several villages in Kunar’s mountainous areas and trapped many families beneath the rubble. Women’s rights activists and local health sources say the severe shortage of female doctors and nurses in local hospitals and clinics once again highlights the urgent need for women’s presence in the country’s health system. In the traditional culture of eastern Afghanistan, many families do not allow their women to be examined by male doctors, a reality that in today’s crisis could cost lives. Residents and aid organizations are urging the international community and health agencies for immediate assistance. They warn that transferring injured women to other provinces is time-consuming and expensive, and without urgent treatment on site, the death toll is likely to rise further.

Photo: AP Hours after last night’s deadly earthquake in eastern Afghanistan, the death toll has risen to more than 800, with over 2,500 injured. The highest number of casualties has been reported from Kunar province, where in one area alone hundreds of people were killed under the rubble. Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban’s spokesperson, said at a press conference that in Nangarhar province 12 people were killed and 255 injured. He added that in Laghman 85 people were injured, and in Nuristan 4 people were injured. However, most of the fatalities have been recorded in Kunar. Mujahid said that rescue teams have not yet been able to reach many parts of the province by road, and therefore exact figures are not yet available. Local sources have described the situation in Kunar as “catastrophic.” According to them, many bodies are still trapped under the rubble, and people have been working since early morning to recover and bury the dead. Other sources said that due to the high number of deaths, burial shrouds have run out in local markets, prompting the Taliban to airlift burial cloths from Nangarhar. However, sources criticized that instead of shrouds, medicine, food, and rescue teams should have been sent. Eyewitnesses also reported a death toll far higher than the official figures, saying that hundreds of bodies remain under the rubble. They stressed that people are searching and burying the dead with their bare hands.

Social Media Agence France-Presse, citing the Taliban, has reported that the death toll from the deadly earthquakes in Kunar and Nangarhar provinces has risen to more than 800. The Taliban stated that most of the casualties occurred in Kunar, particularly in Nurgal district, where several villages were completely destroyed. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) on Monday (September 1) expressed condolences to the families of the victims and announced its readiness to provide emergency aid to those affected. In its statement, UNAMA said: “We are deeply saddened and distressed by the heavy loss of life, injuries, and widespread destruction caused by the earthquakes in the eastern provinces.” UN Secretary-General António Guterres has also expressed sorrow over the deadly quake in Kunar. Additionally, several UN agencies and the government of Iran have announced readiness to deliver emergency assistance. The Taliban have claimed that some medical teams have been dispatched to Kunar to treat the injured. The earthquake, measuring 6.0 on the Richter scale, struck at 11:47 p.m. northeast of Jalalabad, the capital of Nangarhar. The quake has since been followed by several aftershocks.

Social Media Taliban officials in Kunar province say the death toll from last night’s earthquake has risen to more than 700 people, with at least 1,000 others injured. Sources at Kunar’s Disaster Management Authority said the highest casualties were reported in the districts of Noorgul, Swkay, Watapur, Manogi, Chapa Dara, and Shigal. In Mazar darrah of Noorgul district alone, more than 600 people lost their lives and the entire valley has been destroyed. Taliban officials have confirmed that several villages in Noorgul were completely wiped out. However, national television under Taliban control reported the death toll at around 500. The quake also caused casualties and damage in the provinces of Nangarhar, Laghman, Nuristan, and Panjshir. At least 10 people were killed in Nangarhar. Since midnight, several earthquakes have shaken eastern Afghanistan. The first quake, measuring 6.0 on the Richter scale, struck at 11:47 p.m. northeast of Jalalabad, the capital of Nangarhar, followed by at least five aftershocks.

Photo: AP Photo/Seth Wenig The United Nations Security Council has announced that its quarterly meeting on Afghanistan will take place in September. According to the Council’s report, Roza Otunbayeva, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and head of UNAMA, will present her final report at the session, after which her mission in Afghanistan will come to an end. Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, is also scheduled to address the meeting. The Security Council highlighted the decline in international aid and the Taliban’s interference in its distribution, stressing that the human rights situation in Afghanistan, particularly for women and girls, remains dire. The Council pointed to ongoing and repeated human rights violations by the Taliban, including death threats against dozens of female UN employees in Kabul, the detention and harassment of women for not observing the Taliban’s dress code, and broad restrictions on freedom of expression and the right to education. The report noted that the Taliban are seeking to strengthen their foreign relations and regard recognition by Moscow as an achievement. It also stated that on August 8, 33 members of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) were killed while crossing the Durand Line into Pakistan. This comes as earlier UN experts urged the Human Rights Council to reject Taliban authoritarianism and counter efforts to normalize relations with the group.

Photo: REUTERS/John Sibley via english alarabiya A group of former players from Afghanistan’s women’s national football team, who were forced to leave the country after the Taliban’s takeover in 2021, have now returned to the pitch in England. According to Reuters, the event, held as part of FIFA’s identification camp at “St. George’s Park,” was more than just a training session. For the players, it symbolized resistance and hope. Despite the struggles of migration and being banned from playing in their homeland, they have kept football alive as their voice of protest and freedom. Elaha Safdari, a former national team goalkeeper, told Reuters: “When the Taliban came, I had to burn my sports gear and trophies and delete my social media accounts, because football was a crime for women. Today, after four years, returning to the field is full of love and joy for me.” The camp marks the final stage of FIFA’s program to form a 23-member Afghan refugee women’s team, led by Scottish coach Pauline Hamill, which FIFA President Gianni Infantino described as “an important step in the right direction.” Najma Arefi, another player who left Kabul at the age of 18, emphasized: “A dog in the streets of Kabul has more rights than a woman. We want to use football to be the voice of Afghan girls and show that they have not been forgotten. Even if the world closes its eyes, we are still here and we are not afraid.” While Afghanistan’s men’s national team continues to compete internationally under the country’s name, the Taliban-controlled football federation has completely banned women’s sports. Safdari stressed that Afghan women’s goals go beyond training camps: “We want FIFA to recognize us and allow Afghanistan to be represented in exile.” The players believe that football in exile has given them another chance to stand tall and to hope; a chance to deliver a message of resistance and inspiration to girls who, under Taliban restrictions, have lost their dreams of education and sport.

Photo: AP Photo/Khwaja Tawfiq Sediqi via toronto.citynews The human rights organization Rawadari has reported in its latest findings that in the first six months of 2025, cases of targeted, mysterious, and extrajudicial killings in Afghanistan have increased by around 30 percent. According to the report, published on Saturday (August 30) at least 251 people, including 20 women and 12 children, were killed by the Taliban or unidentified individuals during this period. In the same timeframe in 2024, the figure was 193. Victims were mostly former government employees, protesters, tribal elders, and individuals accused of collaborating with Taliban opponents. Rawadari stated that methods of killing included gunfire, the use of cold weapons, beheadings, and even burning victims. Some individuals were abducted, detained, threatened, or interrogated before being killed under suspicious circumstances. The organization also documented at least 27 cases of enforced disappearances in the first half of this year. Victims were again mostly former government employees, tribal and religious elders, or individuals accused of supporting Taliban opposition groups. Findings further show that during the same period, the Taliban arbitrarily detained at least 1,509 people, including 16 women. This figure is double that of last year and six times higher compared to 2023. Those detained include civil activists, journalists, women, social media users, and religious scholars. Rawadari reported that in the first half of this year, four people died in Taliban prisons due to severe torture. The organization said most torture leading to death occurred in Taliban intelligence detention centers. Reported methods of torture include beatings, electric shocks, nail extraction, suffocation, simulated drowning, and sexual and religious insults. The report also highlighted systematic discrimination by the Taliban against ethnic and religious minorities. Findings indicate that the Taliban have imposed widespread discrimination in the distribution of job opportunities, government services, and humanitarian aid, and in some provinces have even forced minorities to change their religion. The organization additionally reminded that Taliban restrictions on women’s education, work, and movement remain in place, noting that women under Taliban rule have no access to justice and that cases of violence against them go unaddressed. It is worth noting that since their return to power, the Taliban have repeatedly been accused of widespread human rights violations, from suppressing women and girls to discriminating against ethnic and religious minorities. UN experts have described these restrictions and violations as “crimes against humanity” and have called for accountability for the group.

Photo: euronews The Guardian has reported that the Taliban have ordered all women’s beauty salons that continue to operate secretly after the official ban to be identified and shut down. According to the order, women running these salons have been given one month to stop their activities, otherwise they will be arrested. Women’s beauty salons in Afghanistan were officially closed in August 2023, resulting in the shutdown of around 12,000 businesses and leaving more than 50,000 female beauticians unemployed. Despite the ban, many salons had continued operating in secret. This decision is part of the Taliban’s ongoing wave of severe restrictions against women. Previously, the group had already barred women from salons, gyms, parks, and traveling without a male guardian, effectively erasing their presence from public life.

Photo: Wikipedia Hibatullah Akhundzada, the Taliban’s supreme leader, has banned the writing of love poems and the description of girls and boys in poetry, warning that violators will be punished. On Saturday (August 30) the Taliban’s Ministry of Justice published the “Law on Regulating Poetry Recitals,” signed by the group’s leader, consisting of two chapters and 13 articles. According to the law, poets are not allowed to mention friendship between girls and boys in their poetry and are obliged to write only within the framework the Taliban call “Islamic morals and Sharia policy.” The law requires poets to base their poems on “self-purification, strengthening Islamic belief, unity of the Ummah, and Islamic aspirations” and to be free from “improper emotions” and “illegitimate desires.” The Taliban have also stipulated that any poetry recital must be held under the supervision of the group’s Ministry of Information and Culture, and publication will only be allowed after official registration and review. This new restriction comes as the Taliban had previously banned love poems. Since their return to power, many Afghan poets and cultural figures have been forced to leave the country due to pressure and restrictions.

Photo: flickr Richard Bennett, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, has expressed concern over the ongoing deportation of Afghan refugees from Pakistan and called for an immediate halt to the process. On Friday (August 29) he wrote on the social media platform X that Afghanistan remains unsafe for many of its citizens, and forced deportations are inconsistent with Pakistan’s international obligations. Bennett stressed that countries supporting Afghans must create more pathways for resettlement and increase assistance to Pakistan and other neighboring countries hosting millions of Afghan refugees. These concerns come as Pakistani officials have announced that beginning September 1, even refugees holding temporary registration cards (PoR) will be included in the deportation process. Earlier, the UNHCR and other international organizations had also warned that mass deportations could trigger a new humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.