Amnesty urges ‘war crimes’ inquiry into Pakistani airstrike on Kabul rehab center

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Amu: Amnesty International has called for a war crimes investigation into a Pakistani airstrike that struck a drug rehabilitation center in Kabul in March, saying the attack killed at least 269 civilians and unlawfully targeted a protected medical facility.  In a report released nearly five months after the March 16 strike, the rights group said it found no evidence to support Pakistan’s claim that the Omid Rehabilitation and Treatment Center was being used to store weapons or ammunition or served any military purpose at the time of the attack. “The attack on the Omid Centre constitutes a serious violation of international humanitarian law — possibly amounting to a war crime,” Isabelle Lassee, Amnesty International’s acting regional director for South Asia, said in the report. She said Pakistan had failed to verify whether the facility was a legitimate military objective before carrying out the strike. Click here to read more (external link).

Badakhshan Mine Workers Protest Taliban Ban On Mining

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Afghanistan International: The protesters told Afghanistan International that mining workshops belonging to low-income individuals have been shut for about a month, while sites linked to powerful figures continue to operate. They alleged that those workshops had obtained permission to extract minerals by paying bribes to the Taliban. According to the protesters, the situation has left hundreds of families facing serious financial hardship. Click here to read more (external link).

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Hashmatullah Shahidi Resigns as Afghanistan’s ODI Captain After Four-Year Tenure

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Khaama: Hashmatullah Shahidi has resigned as captain of Afghanistan’s one-day international (ODI) team with immediate effect, ending a four-year tenure in which he led the side at major international tournaments and oversaw several notable victories. The 31-year-old batter had served as Afghanistan’s ODI captain since January 2022. According to ESPNcricinfo, he led the team in 55 ODIs before stepping down following Afghanistan’s most recent ODI assignment against India in June 2026. Click here to read more (external link).

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Death toll on rise in Nuristan flash floods as 15 bodies recovered

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Nuristan

Amu: The death toll in Nuristan flash floods have reached at least 23, local Taliban officials said, adding that 15 bodies were recovered on Tuesday morning while more than 100 others are still missing. The floods many areas in the eastern province, particularly Parun, the center of the province, on Monday, sweeping away homes, shops and vehicles. The Taliban-run disaster management authority, the ANDMA, said 80 others were injured. It warned that the death toll is likely to rise as search operations continue. Among those killed was the Taliban mayor of Parun, according to Faridun Samim, spokesman for the Taliban governor in Nuristan. The ANDMA said 70 shops, 11 hotels and 7 homes have been destroyed. Click here to read more (external link).

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New AI tool helps Afghans identify visa pathways

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Ariana: A veteran-led organisation has launched a new artificial intelligence-powered platform designed to help Afghans navigate complex visa and relocation options as thousands remain stranded or at risk nearly five years after the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan. The Visa Pathways and Relocation Information Center (V-PRIC), developed by AfghanEvac, uses artificial intelligence to guide users through possible immigration and protection pathways based on their individual circumstances. According to AfghanEvac founder and U.S. Navy veteran Shawn VanDiver, the platform attracted more than 30,000 visits during its first week online. Click here to read more (external link).

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From Juma Khan Fateh to “Sepahiyan-e Mihan”: Is Badakhshan Becoming the Taliban’s Achilles Heel?

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8am: The emergence of a front named “Sepahiyan-e Mihan” (“Soldiers of the Homeland”) should not be assessed merely as the birth of another armed group alongside other anti-Taliban fronts. The main significance of this event lies in the fact that, contrary to Taliban expectations, the passage of time has not only failed to reduce the number of armed fronts against this group, but serious and clear signs of the formation of new fronts are now visible. After returning to power, the Taliban tried to create the impression that the war in Afghanistan had ended and that the group’s armed opponents had either been eliminated or lacked the capacity to reorganize. The emergence of new fronts now poses a serious challenge to this narrative. Even if these fronts are militarily small and lack the capacity to seize and hold a village, their very formation shows that the grounds for discontent and armed mobilization against the Taliban regime have not disappeared, and have in fact become more favorable. Of course, these fronts do not simply spring up like mushrooms. Their emergence requires a set of interwoven factors: a human network, financial and military resources, external support, and at least a minimal geographic base for activity. Click here to read more (external link).

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Amid Taliban restrictions, Balkh women report rising depression

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Amu: Women and girls in the northern province of Balkh say years of Taliban restrictions on education and employment have left many struggling with depression, anxiety and other mental health problems, as psychologists report a growing demand for counseling services. Nearly five years after the Taliban returned to power, women remain barred from secondary schools, universities and most forms of employment, leaving many confined to their homes with few opportunities for study or work. Click here to read more (external link).

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