The Guardian (UK): Child marriage is not new to south Asia. But while the practice across the region has been declining, the Taliban takeover reversed that trend in Afghanistan. Shabnam*, a midwife, says: “Since the new government came to power, the number of child mothers has increased dramatically. In the past, perhaps only two child
The Guardian (UK): Students are required to attend religious lectures and pray in public every day, sometimes for two hours at a time, says Hashmat. The lectures are about Islam, conduct and obedience. They are not optional. In some cases, he says, they are held during time that would otherwise be used for regular academic
Amu: Abdullah Rahimi, a former deputy director of Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security in Ghor province, was shot dead while attending evening prayers at a mosque near his home in the Taywara district of Ghor on Saturday, according to local sources. Rahimi is the third former member of Afghanistan’s security forces reported killed in Ghor
8am: Several residents of Badakhshan province are complaining about the sale of agricultural land to mining companies and the seizure of parts of this land by individuals and companies linked to the Taliban. They say that many people, driven by poverty and economic hardship, are forced to sell their farmland without considering the long-term consequences
NPR: Across Afghanistan, smartphones have become part of a fragile support system. Families use them to consult doctors remotely, arrange transport to distant clinics, send photos of wounds and symptoms, ask relatives for money, document abuse and reach schooling that is no longer available in person to many girls and women. That fragile network is
Afghanistan International: The Taliban on Friday, July 10, again detained several women on Herat for allegedly failing to comply with the group’s dress code. Sources said two Taliban morality police patrol vehicles took several women to an undisclosed location. Sources told Afghanistan International that at least two patrol vehicles belonging to the Taliban’s Ministry for
8am: Several Kabul residents are complaining about the repeated release of thieves detained by the Taliban. They say that detained individuals are released after a short period and resume their criminal activities. According to residents, these individuals are released in exchange for payments made to the Taliban, and in some cases, individuals affiliated with the
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: As the Taliban claim economic growth in Afghanistan, several Kabul residents say these claims are incompatible with the realities of people’s daily lives. According to them, the Taliban have dealt a severe blow to the country’s economy by imposing restrictions on women and excluding them from social activities, government institutions, and private and international
8am: Several rickshaw operators in Nangarhar province are complaining about the Taliban’s ban on these vehicles, saying the decision has stripped them of their only source of income and livelihood. They say they had purchased their rickshaws through great hardship and by investing all their savings in order to provide for their families, but now