Khaama: The US State Department expressed concerns that Afghanistan would once again become a haven for terrorists while simultaneously warning that it would intervene and take action if terrorists regrouped in Afghanistan. The statement was made on Wednesday in response to a question regarding the escalation in violence in Afghanistan and the government’s failure to stop offering “safe havens” to terrorist organizations, such as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), al-Qaeda, the Islamic State, and others. Click here to read more (external link).
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MSF: Difficulties reaching and affording medical care are not the only barriers to TB treatment faced by people in Afghanistan. Another is the widespread lack of knowledge about the disease. MSF teams carry out regular health promotion activities in local communities in Kandahar to improve people’s understanding of TB. Over 70 per cent of patients in MSF’s Kandahar TB hospital are women and children. “Women and children stay at home in dusty, poorly ventilated rooms for longer periods of time than men,” says Tommy. “If a woman gets infected, the children are likely to catch the disease as well,” he says. An additional challenge for female patients is that they are generally required to be accompanied by a male family member to the hospital, and this coupled with the economic barriers can significantly reduce their access to healthcare. 
8am: The Taliban have ordered that the 12th-grade exams of female students must be held in one day. All 12th-grade girls are going to appear in the exams today without having preparation as they have only been asked to contact their schools on Monday to register for the exam along with a photograph, ID card, and 600 AFG fees. School teachers describe the move, which leads to the graduation of all girls without attending classes and studying, as an “insult to education”, “abusing people” and “deceiving the international community”. 
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