By RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi January 11, 2026 A deadly confrontation at a gold mine in northern Afghanistan has cast new light on the Taliban’s push to expand gold extraction, raising questions about the largely unregulated operations and their foreign — mostly Chinese — backing. The latest incident comes as the Interior Ministry of the Taliban
8am: Many residents of Kabul say plastic bags have taken over daily life in the city. They argue that these bags harm the environment and that authorities should either stop or strictly limit their production and import into Afghanistan. According to residents, the low price and easy access to plastic bags and other plastic products
8am: Many residents of Kabul now speak with growing anxiety about the spread of non-standard high-rise buildings across the city. They say builders have ignored Kabul’s limited capacity, and as a result, daily life has become harder and environmental damage more severe. At a time when the city already struggles with water shortages, heavy air
8am: Residents across Ghazni province speak with deep worry about the industrial factories operating inside their neighborhoods. They say the rapid spread and constant work of these factories have filled the air with poison and pushed many families into serious health problems. Those who live closest to the factories suffer the most and pay the
8am: Many residents of Kabul now live with deep worry as water shortages and pollution spread across the city. They say the water from their taps and wells can no longer be used for drinking, forcing families to spend thousands of Afghanis each month on bottled water. Even then, they do not always trust the
8am: A number of residents in Kabul complain that more people are using low-quality fuel materials, especially plastic, to heat their homes. They say the unpleasant smell and smoke from burning plastic are disturbing and have even made them sick. These residents stress that some people knowingly use plastic because of poverty, while others do
8am: According to reports, senior Taliban officials have officially granted foreign tourists, most of them sheikhs and members of the royal families of Qatar, permission to hunt rare birds in Afghanistan. It was announced at the time that under these contracts, hunters were allowed to kill only a specific rare bird known as the houbara
Amu: As temperatures begin to drop, survivors of the August earthquake in eastern Afghanistan say they have yet to receive critical aid and continue to live in precarious conditions, raising fears of further suffering during the winter months. Despite repeated appeals, residents say that neither the Taliban authorities nor humanitarian organizations have provided the necessary
8am: Several residents of Kabul have voiced concerns over the contamination of the city’s water. They say that the water in Kabul is no longer drinkable, forcing them to spend thousands of Afghanis each month on bottled water. Meanwhile, environmental experts warn that rapid population growth, the use of absorption wells for sewage, and the
Ariana: The World Health Organization (WHO) says it has mobilized emergency health teams and dispatched life-saving medical supplies to northern Afghanistan following a powerful 6.3-magnitude earthquake that struck near Mazar-e-Sharif early Monday, killing at least 20 people and injuring more than 860 others. The quake, which hit at 1 a.m. local time, caused extensive damage