The Guardian (UK): The war in Afghanistan might be over but farmers in Kandahar’s Arghandab valley face a new enemy: drought. It has hardly rained for two years, a drought so severe that some farmers are questioning how much longer they can live off the land. Click here to read more (external link).
Hundreds of people marched in Kandahar on September 14 to protest against what they say are plans by the Taliban to evict them from their homes. Many of those said to be facing eviction are widows or wives of Afghan soldiers killed or wounded in action over the past 20 years in fighting against
Reuters: In early July, as Taliban insurgents were seizing territory from government forces across Afghanistan, fighters from the group walked into the offices of Azizi Bank in the southern city of Kandahar and ordered nine women working there to leave. The gunmen escorted them to their homes and told them not to return to their
Frud Bezhan Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty August 13, 2021 The Taliban’s capture of two crucial cities in Afghanistan — Kandahar and Herat — marks a major turning point in the 20-year war between the internationally backed Afghan government and the Taliban insurgency, observers say. Kandahar, the nation’s second-largest city, is the economic hub of southern
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty August 13, 2021 The Taliban has captured Afghanistan’s second-largest city, Kandahar, local government officials said on August 13, giving the militant group its most significant victory since the launch of a new offensive as U.S. forces withdraw. “Following heavy clashes late last night, the Taliban took control of Kandahar city,” a
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty August 5, 2021 The Afghan Air Force on August 5 resumed air strikes against Taliban positions in southern Afghanistan as militants made additional gains in the country’s north. A Defense Ministry statement said air strikes were carried out across the country, including in the southern Helmand Province where government forces are
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty August 4, 2021 Civilians fled their homes in southern Afghanistan on August 4 as government troops prepared a counterattack to retake swaths of the city of Lashkar Gah from the Taliban, as international concerns intensify over civilian casualties in several major urban centers. With intense battles under way in the west
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty August 3, 2021 The United Nations has warned of a “catastrophic” impact and urged Afghanistan’s warring sides to better protect civilians caught up in the intensifying conflict, the focus of which has shifted in recent weeks from mostly rural areas to major battles for control of three large cities. The plea
By RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi August 2, 2021 Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on August 2 blamed Washington’s “sudden” decision about its troop withdrawal for the current insecurity in his country, as government troops battled Taliban militants for control of a southern provincial capital following weekend assaults on urban centers in a major escalation. Fighting raged in Lashkar
By RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi August 1, 2021 Residents of Afghanistan’s second-largest city expressed fear of further Taliban advances on August 1 after at least three rockets struck and disabled Kandahar airport overnight. The airport attack further highlighted the reach of Taliban militants as government forces continue to battle major offensives that have crept to the gates