Reuters: An earthquake of magnitude 5.9 struck Afghanistan’s Hindu Kush region on Friday, the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) said. The quake was at a depth of 177 km (110 miles), GFZ said. Click here to read more (external link).
More
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. Click here to read more (external link).
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. Click here to read more (external link).
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. Click here to read more (external link).
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. Click here to read more (external link).
Deminer (file photo)
8am: Richard Bennett, the United Nations Human Rights Council’s Special Rapporteur for Afghanistan, stated ahead of the International Day for Mine Awareness that unexploded ordnance caused 471 civilian casualties in Afghanistan last year. On Thursday, April 2, in a report on casualties from unexploded mines in Afghanistan, Bennett expressed particular concern over child victims. He called on the international community to invest in demining operations and the protection of Afghanistan citizens’ lives. He added that 67 percent of casualties from explosions involve children. Click here to read more (external link).
Afghanistan International: Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said a delegation of senior officials has travelled to Urumqi, China, for talks with the Afghan Taliban. Tahir Andrabi said the delegation is in Urumqi to explore a “sustainable solution” to stop cross-border terrorism from Afghanistan. Speaking at a weekly briefing on Thursday, Andrabi said the talks between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban were being held at a working level and led by senior officials. He did not provide details on which officials were involved or how long the talks would continue. Click here to read more (external link).
Related