8am: Following the escalation of anti-Taliban front activities, Mohammad Yusuf Wafa, the Taliban’s governor in Balkh, who is known as “Hibatullah’s Shadow” in the north, has traveled to the mountainous districts of Balkh, Sar-e Pul, Samangan, and Bamiyan and has inspected conditions there firsthand. In his most recent move, during a meeting with Taliban military
8am: Several residents of Marmul district in Balkh province say that the Taliban have been raiding people’s homes for several nights, creating fear and terror among the district’s residents. According to Marmul residents, the Taliban had previously demanded that they turn off the lights installed outside their homes; however, now the owners of homes that
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,
8am: Sources in Balkh have expressed serious concern over widespread bribery and extortion at the Road Transport Regulation Directorate under Taliban control in the province. They say that certain individuals, in collusion with the Taliban, are placing heavy pressure on people who visit the directorate to complete their official paperwork. According to the sources, these
8am: Some residents of Mazar-i-Sharif, the center of Balkh province, have expressed concern over rising theft and insecurity in various parts of the city. They say they do not feel safe or confident about their security when leaving their homes. According to them, the Taliban are not only unable to ensure security in the city
Ariana: The Balkh Mountaineering Federation announced that 13 members of the Alborz Central team, led by Reza Rezaei, the federation’s Technical and Professional Deputy, with coordination from the Olympic and Physical Education Directorate and the provincial Mountaineering Federation, successfully climbed Mount Alborz during their first training program. Click here to read more (external link).
8am: When commanders and fighters from within the group face accusations of sexual relations outside marriage, the Taliban often protect their own. Instead of enforcing the Sharia punishments they claim to uphold, they conceal these acts by imposing forced marriages. These accounts follow earlier findings by the Hasht-e Subh Daily, which documented in multiple reports
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
By RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi November 3, 2025 At least 27 people are dead and scores more injured after an earthquake of 6.3 magnitude struck near the northern Afghan city of Mazar-e Sharif early on November 3, just two months after a deadly and devastating quake rocked the eastern part of the country. The US Geological Survey
Amu: Internet services provided by Afghan Telecom, the state-owned operator, were cut in Kandahar province on Tuesday afternoon, local sources told Amu TV. The disruption comes days after Afghan Telecom’s fiber-optic services were shut down in Balkh province in northern Afghanistan. Taliban officials there confirmed the blackout, saying it was ordered by the Taliban’s supreme