Taliban cleric says girls’ education is forbidden
Afghan girl (file photo)
Amu: A senior Taliban cleric in Kabul has said that schooling for women and girls is “forbidden,” arguing that they should be limited to studying certain religious subjects, including matters related to marriage, child-rearing and household responsibilities. Click here to read more (external link).
Related
The children forced into ‘Bacha Bazi’ sexual servitude by the Taliban: The group has decriminalized marrying girls… but their commanders are guilty of equally depraved abuse towards boys
Daily Mail (UK): Despite the Taliban’s legal ban on the practice, a recent report suggests it remains widespread. The US State Department in its latest Trafficking in Persons report, found that child soldier recruitment, human trafficking and Bacha Bazi continue in Afghanistan. The report said the Taliban recruit children through coercion and deception, including false promises, and documented cases of Bacha Bazi involving Taliban officials as well as other armed groups. Click here to read more (external link).
In Herat, child laborers work among drug users, crime
Amu: One of the busiest centers of child labor is Farhang Park in downtown Herat, directly across from the office of the Taliban governor. Children working there said they routinely encounter drug users and unsafe conditions while trying to support their families. Click here to read more (external link).
Afghanistan to play in Diamond Jubilee Tournament opener against Maldives
Ariana: Afghanistan’s national football team will begin its campaign in the Diamond Jubilee International Football Tournament on Monday night with a match against hosts Maldives. The four-nation competition, which runs from June 1 to June 10, features Afghanistan, Maldives, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Click here to read more (external link).
Other Afghan Sports News
Truck Carrying Afghan Returnees Crashes, Killing At Least 22 In Eastern Afghanistan
By RFE/RL
May 30, 2026
An overloaded truck carrying Afghan families returning from Pakistan crashed in eastern Afghanistan on May 30, killing at least 22 people and injuring 36 others, local officials said.
The accident occurred near the Surkhakan intersection in the Qarghayi district of Laghman Province on the Kabul–Jalalabad highway, a key route linking the Afghan capital with the Torkham border crossing into Pakistan.
Mawlawi Aminullah Sharif, Nangarhar’s provincial public health director, said an earlier death toll of 18 had risen to 22 after several victims succumbed to their injuries in hospital.
Preliminary investigations indicate the driver fell asleep at the wheel, causing the heavily overloaded vehicle to leave the road and plunge into a ditch, Sharif said.
Another Afghan official told the AFP news agency that least 12 children were among the fatalities.
Emergency responders transported the wounded to nearby medical facilities in Nangarhar Province, where several passengers remain in critical condition.
Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a post on X that he was “deeply saddened” by the tragedy and offered prayers “for the swift recovery of the injured.”
The victims were among a growing number of Afghans returning from Pakistan under Islamabad’s Illegal Foreigners’ Repatriation Plan, a government campaign launched to remove undocumented foreign nationals, most of them Afghans.
According to figures from the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration, more than 447,000 Afghans have returned from Pakistan since the start of 2026.
Aid groups say many returnees arrive with limited resources and often travel in overcrowded commercial trucks due to a lack of affordable transport options.
Fatal road accidents are common in Afghanistan, where decades of conflict have left much of the transport infrastructure in poor condition, while dangerous driving practices and a lack of regulation also contribute to frequent traffic fatalities.
Copyright (c) 2026. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036.
Tolo News in Dari – May 30, 2026
Taliban Defence Minister Vows To Deter Future Pakistani Attacks
Afghanistan International: After returning from Moscow, Taliban Defence Minister Mullah Yaqoob said Pakistan would soon no longer dare attack Afghan territory, adding that implementation of a military cooperation agreement between the Taliban and Russia would begin shortly. At the same time, he stressed that the agreement was not a defence-security pact and should not cause concern for other countries. Click here to read more (external link).
Related
Afghanistan war crimes claims review dismissed, UK inquiry hears
Ariana: A judge-led inquiry into alleged war crimes committed by British special forces in Afghanistan has heard that an initial internal review of the allegations was dismissed within a single day, according to newly declassified documents. The documents, released on Friday as part of the ongoing public inquiry, suggest senior British special forces officers failed to properly investigate repeated reports that members of the Special Air Service (SAS) had unlawfully killed unarmed Afghans during operations in the country. Click here to read more (external link).
Afghan president voiced concern over civilians killed by SAS troops, inquiry told
Hamid Karzai
The Guardian (UK): Concerns about the number of Afghan civilians being killed by British special forces in the early part of the last decade prompted the country’s then president to make a “muscular” complaint to Nato commanders fighting the Taliban. Newly released evidence from a public inquiry into the deaths of up to 80 people during an SAS deployment also showed that Afghan partner military forces were no longer willing to work alongside the British by the spring of 2011. “President Hamid Karzai was very ‘muscular’ in addressing the issue” of British detention operations “with Nato’s chain of command”, according to the summary of N1788’s two days of evidence, first given in the autumn of 2024. Click here to read more (external link).