Afghanistan’s Taliban government said a wave of Pakistani air strikes had killed four civilians in the latest escalation between the two sides. The strikes hit provinces including Kandahar, the Taliban’s base of power, sources told the BBC. A resident told AFP news agency they heard a jet, followed by a large explosion and then a
Hashimi followed her sister Yulduz, also an international cyclist, into the sport at the age of 15, despite danger in their home province of Faryab. “I always dressed as a man to go to training, wearing two or three different masks so people would not recognise or attack me,” Hashimi previously told Reuters., external Hashimi
Taliban security personnel stand guard ahead of a public flogging of 27 women and men at a football stadium in Charikar city of Parwan province on December 8, 2022 in front of a large crowd. AFP/via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption AFP/via Getty Images We have previously reported on the Taliban’s position that public
At the graceful foreign ministry compound in Kabul, Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi tries to put on a brave face. “There’s no doubt that we need some help,” he admits. “There is pressure due to their return but in the long run, it will benefit them as well as Afghanistan.” In the first years
His superior, Abdul Samad, shows us an unmarked graveyard, saying his father is buried here, killed fighting for the Taliban. The area is one of the most deprived in a country where the UN says three in four people cannot provide for their basic needs. Samad says the local population desperately need water, roads and
UN officials believe their presence in Afghanistan makes a difference, however limited. They point to progress on issues such as the treatment of prisoners, their detailed discussions on the harsh implementation of the morality code known as the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, as well as efforts to improve humanitarian access. “Engagement is
