Every Two Hours A Woman Dies During Childbirth In Afghanistan

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Farangis Najibullah,
Mustafa Sarwar and
Abdul Hamid Hakimi

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
March 15, 2025

Every two hours. That’s how often a woman dies during childbirth in Afghanistan.

The staggering maternal mortality rate is one of the highest in the world. And under the repressive rule of the Taliban, the situation is only getting worse.

Among the victims was a young woman who died during childbirth in her village in the northwestern province of Badghis in December.

“Both my sister and her unborn child died,” said Fereshta, the woman’s sister. “There are no midwives or any health centers in our area.”

Fereshta did not name her sister, who she said was in her 20s and had three young children.

In Afghanistan, at least 638 mothers died for every 100,000 births, according to the UN figures for 2024. The real number could be even higher as some cases go unreported, especially in remote areas.

The UN said many of the deaths were due to preventable pregnancy complications exacerbated by severe shortages in qualified birth attendants and an under resourced health-care system.

Rising Maternal Deaths

The maternal mortality rate in Afghanistan was 1,346 for every 100,000 births in 2000, during the Taliban’s first stint in power. The ratio dropped to 629 in 2020 due to generous international support and development aid.

But since the Taliban regained power in 2021, the number of deaths during childbirth has increased again.

The public health-care system in Afghanistan, which was largely funded by foreign aid for nearly two decades, has been in freefall since the Taliban seized power and international donors immediately cut financial funding.

While some foreign aid organizations continue to operate in Afghanistan, many of them have been forced to curb their work as international funding diminishes.

In a major blow, the United States, the largest foreign donor, paused its humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan in January.

The UN estimates that the absence of the US aid in Afghanistan could result in 1,200 additional maternal deaths between 2025 and 2028.

Exacerbating the situation, the Taliban has banned women from attending university and severely restricted their job opportunities, including in the health sector.

In December, the hard-line Islamist group banned women from attending medical institutes that offered classes in midwifery, nursing, dental hygiene, and laboratory science.

Tom Fletcher, the UN undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, said the ban is set to prevent more than 36,000 midwives and 2,800 female nurses from joining the country’s health sector in the foreseeable future.

Taliban ‘Does Not Care About Women’s Health’

A midwife at Kabul, who spoke to RFE/RL on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution, said the Taliban “does not care about women’s health, as if this issue does not exist.”

The woman, who has worked in state hospitals for more than two decades, said women’s lack of access to information about maternal health is also an ongoing issue.

The high maternity rate in Afghanistan, she said, “is not only about a lack of access to a clinic or a midwife during childbirth.”

“Expectant mothers should be under constant monitoring of clinics from the early stages of pregnancy,” she added. “But in many cases in Afghanistan, even in big cities, pregnant women come to hospital only when they have some major health issue or only to give birth.”

Copyright (c) 2025. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036.

Trump: The US Should Not Have Lost Bagram Airbase

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Donald Trump

Tolo News: US President Donald Trump, speaking at the Department of Justice, once again referred to the US withdrawal from Afghanistan as the “most embarrassing” day in American history. According to Trump, the US was interested in keeping Bagram Airbase due to its strategic proximity to China, but now, he claims, China controls the base. Click here to read more (external link).

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Taliban Has Not Acted Against IMU, Says Research Report

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Afghanistan International: A new report by the research institute ACAPS has highlighted several issues affecting relations between the Taliban and Uzbekistan. The report states that the Taliban has not taken decisive action against the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), which operates in Afghanistan. Uzbekistan considers the IMU a national security threat. Click here to read more (external link).

Pakistan to file UN complaint against Taliban and India over terrorism support

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Khaama: Pakistani media reported that Islamabad is preparing to file a complaint with the United Nations, accusing both the Taliban and India of supporting terrorism against Pakistan. The government has decided to present this complaint due to their involvement in cross-border terrorism and the support they allegedly provide to militant groups operating in Pakistan. Click here to read more (external link).

Pakistan’s Blame Game Over BLA Train Attack

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Michael Hughes: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif admitted Pakistan’s ties to the Afghan Taliban have come back to haunt Islamabad. Although, for many, this is like saying the sky is blue, it is quite a development when such a statement emanates from a Pakistani official. The timing of the admission, of course, is too little, too late. But it also comes at a peculiar moment: in the wake of a terror attack by a group not linked to the Afghan Taliban.

On March 11, Baloch separatists attacked and hijacked a passenger train carrying 440 people about 100 miles from Quetta in the Pakistani province of Balochistan. After a 30-hour standoff, Pakistan’s military said 21 civilians were killed and security forces eliminated 33 attackers from the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA).

Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director, General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, said the terrorists were in contact with their handlers and “masterminds” in Afghanistan during the operation via satellite phone. He also claimed the terrorist attack was sponsored by India. The ISPR in a separate statement called on the Taliban government to prevent the BLA from using Afghan territory for terrorist activities against Pakistan.

Pakistani authorities have often tried to link the BLA and TTP, especially when both outfits launch terror attacks around the same time. However, I have seen no independent verification that the BLA has ever coordinated efforts with the TTP or Afghan Taliban.

Click here to read more.

Author says ban on her book reflects Taliban’s repression of women

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Roshan Noorzai
Noshaba Ashna
VOA News
March 14, 2025

WASHINGTON — When Naveeda Khoshbo published her book of political analysis in 2019, she received widespread praise and recognition.

For many, “it was the first time that they were reading a book written by a young woman,” she said.

So, when she received a text message from a friend and fellow journalist in November 2024, telling her the Taliban had banned her book, she was shocked.

Khoshbo, 33, said she can’t figure out why the book, “Siyasi Jaj” or “Political Analysis,” was banned, saying “it did not address any sensitive topics.”

Published by the Peace Publish Center in Kabul, her book covers political events and processes from 2001 to 2019.

But last year it was included in a list circulated on social media of more than 400 books banned by the Taliban.

The list covers a range of topics: democracy, the arts, literature, poetry, history, religion, governance, rights and freedoms.

The Taliban’s deputy minister for the Ministry of Information and Culture, Zia-ul Haq Haqmal, told media his department had identified 400 books deemed “against Afghanistan’s national interest and Islamic values.”

‘Hostility is directed at women’

Khoshbo believes her book also was banned because it was written by a woman. She is now based in London.

“I believe their hostility is directed at women, and for them, the books written by women are the first to be targeted, regardless of their content,” she said.

About a dozen titles in the book ban are by women, or they were translated by women. Other titles include the book by Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai, “I am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education.”

The Taliban, who seized power in August 2021, have imposed strict measures against women in Afghanistan, barring them from education, work, long-distance travel and participating in public life.

Afghan writer Nazeer Ahmad Sahaar told VOA the Taliban jettison anything they see as contrary to their ideology.

“Anything that is against the Taliban’s political and religious beliefs and narrative is banned under the Taliban,” said Sahaar.

The author has written more than a dozen books. One of those, “Waziristan: The Last Stand” is also on the list of banned publications.

Sahaar sees the book ban as part of a larger crackdown on “women, the press and freedom of expression.”

Sahaar said the ban on books, though, is of little surprise.

“It was evident that they would impose restrictions in many areas,” he said.

Alongside the book ban and restrictions imposed on women, the Taliban return has led to restrictions on freedom of expression.

Media outlets work under rules that are not always clear about what can and cannot be covered, and in some cases must submit coverage for review before publication.

The Taliban also imposed restrictions on printing books.

An owner of a printing press in the eastern province of Nangarhar, who requested anonymity for fear of reprisal, told VOA that the provincial Directorate of Information and Culture instructed publishers not to print anything without prior permission.

“In a meeting with publishers, the Taliban officials said that ‘if you are publishing any book, you must first obtain permission from the directorate,'” said the business owner.

The owner said that businesses are struggling under the Taliban, but there is an increased demand for books, particularly ones that are banned.

“The Taliban’s restrictions have sparked social and cultural resistance,” he said, with people seeking ways to oppose the limitations, including by reading prohibited books.

‘It reflects the fear’

Abdul Ghafoor Lewal, an Afghan writer and former diplomat, told VOA the Taliban’s actions reveal fear of any opposition.

“It reflects the fear authoritarian regimes have of freedom of expression, books and knowledge,” said Lewal.

Khoshbo said the Taliban’s ban would not stop her and other women from writing and participating in social and political life.

“The Taliban can’t suppress our voices by “banning books,” said Khoshbo, but “women can’t be erased from society and politics.”

Pak PM Blames Security Challenges On Past Support For Taliban

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Shahbaz Sharif

Afghanistan International: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has blamed the country’s ongoing security challenges on past alignment and support by some Pakistani officials for the Afghan Taliban. He made these remarks three days after the hostage crisis on the Jaffar Express train, during a meeting with officials in Balochistan. Click here to read more (external link).

More Pakistan-Afghanistan News