Sima Samar
Amu: At least 310 civilians were killed and 974 injured in Afghanistan over the past year, according to a new report by Afghanistan Human Rights Center, which warned of a sharp deterioration in human rights conditions across the country. The center, led by Sima Samar, the former head of the independent human rights commission in Afghanistan, said in its annual report, released Thursday, that a total of 1,284 civilians were killed or wounded during the 1404 solar year (March 2025 to March 2026), with more than 90 percent of the casualties attributed to border clashes between the Taliban and Pakistani forces, including airstrikes inside Afghanistan. Women and children accounted for the majority of victims, the report said, underscoring the disproportionate impact of the violence on vulnerable populations. Click here to read more (external link).
Afghanistan International: Clashes have broken out between Taliban border forces and Pakistani troops in Khost province as talks between the two sides continue in Urumqi, China, local sources say. Subhanullah Azzam, the Taliban’s head of information and culture in Khost, said the fighting took place in the Ghulam Khan area of Gurbuz district. 
Amu: At least 51 people have been killed and 89 injured in flooding across Afghanistan over the past eight days, according to Taliban figures, as heavy rains continue to batter multiple provinces. In the past 24 hours alone, three people were killed and 16 others injured as floods swept through at least 18 provinces, the data shows. The latest flooding affected parts of Kabul, Panjshir, Paktika, Khost, Logar, Maidan Wardak, Ghazni, Kandahar, Zabul, Uruzgan, Herat, Farah, Badghis, Jawzjan, Baghlan, Badakhshan, Nangarhar and Laghman. The damage has been extensive. 
8am: Many residents of Kabul say that to stay safe from Taliban scrutiny and to gain the favor of their forces, they have been forced to wear the Kandahari hat, grow beards, and adopt traditional clothing. While some view this change as a return to traditional values, public accounts indicate that for many, this shift is primarily out of necessity and adaptation to conditions that now affect even the simplest daily choices. Some men say that to avoid problems and not attract attention, they have adopted clothing similar to that of the Taliban. The Taliban’s insistence on traditional clothing has led even some who previously wore the pakol to abandon it and wear the Kandahari hat to gain the group’s favor. 
Amu: A comprehensive UN legal review has found that a sweeping set of policies imposed by the Taliban since 2021 violate Afghanistan’s obligations under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, one of the core international human rights treaties. The report, published jointly by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and UN Women, examines 16 key Taliban directives and laws affecting women and girls and concludes that many constitute direct and systemic discrimination under international law. 
Ariana: At least 19 Afghan migrants, including a baby, have died after a speedboat capsized in the Aegean Sea off the coast of Bodrum, Turkish authorities said on Wednesday. According to the Turkish Coast Guard Command, the vessel was carrying dozens of migrants when it ignored repeated orders to stop and attempted to flee at high speed despite rough sea conditions. The boat later began taking on water before overturning. Rescue operations were launched immediately, with teams supported by a helicopter from Izmir. Authorities said 20 migrants were rescued from the water, while 18 bodies were initially recovered at the scene. One more person later died in hospital, bringing the death toll to 19.