8am: The year 1403 of the Solar Hijri calendar marks the third year that Nowruz festivities have yet to be held in Balkh Province. The Taliban banned Nowruz celebrations in the country in the year 1400 Solar Hijri calendar, denying citizens permission to celebrate the New Year. Now, some residents of Mazar-i-Sharif say that under
8am: Reports emerging from Balkh and Bamiyan provinces reveal that despite the populace’s eagerness to celebrate Nowruz in these regions, stringent measures enforced by the Taliban have cast a pall over the festive spirit marking the New Year in these locales. This marks the third consecutive year in which the Taliban have proscribed Nowruz celebrations,
ProPublica: The United Nations has delivered more than $2.9 billion in cash to Afghanistan since the Taliban seized control, resulting in the flow of U.S. funds to the extremist group, according to a recent government report. The U.N. deposits the cash into a private Afghan bank and disburses funds to the agency’s aid organizations and
Ayaz Gul VOA News March 20, 2024 Schools in Afghanistan reopened Wednesday for the new academic year, but the fundamentalist Taliban government prohibited teenage girls from joining secondary-level classes for a third year in a row. In a statement marking the new school year, the Taliban Ministry of Education asked teachers and students to follow
By RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi March 20, 2024 Pakistan is set to force some 850,000 documented Afghan refugees back to their country next month if they don’t leave voluntarily. According to reports in Pakistani media, the expulsions, the latest in an ongoing campaign of forced deportations, are scheduled to begin on April 15. The News, an English-language
By Sarah Zaman VOA News March 20, 2024 ISLAMABAD — Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif says his country does not want to engage in an armed conflict with neighbor Afghanistan after Islamabad conducted airstrikes this week on alleged terrorist hideouts across the border. “Force is the last resort. We do not want to have an armed conflict
Khaama: The Afghanistan national football team will face India tomorrow in the second stage of the preliminary round for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2027 AFC Asian Cup. The Afghan Football Federation recently announced that the match is scheduled to take place on Thursday, March 21st, hosted by Saudi Arabia, and the Afghan
By RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi March 19, 2024 The Swedish Committee for Afghanistan (SCA), one of the country’s oldest and largest international aid groups, has suspended activities in Afghanistan after the Taliban revoked its licenses. “We are extremely saddened by the current situation and the effects our suspension will have on the millions of people who have
8am: Concerns are rising among residents of Khost Province over the increase in targeted killings and criminal incidents in the region. Many accuse the Taliban of incompetence in providing security and emphasize that most of these incidents occur near Taliban checkpoints. According to these residents, the Taliban are incapable of controlling criminal activities and targeted