Detainees In Ghor Say Taliban Denying Them Food, Water

Marking the International Day of the Midwife on 5 May, Dickson called on the Taliban to lift the restrictions on female medical education, stressing its vital role in safeguarding public health.

In a statement posted on the X social media platform, the British Embassy for Afghanistan highlighted that the country ranks seventh globally in maternal mortality. The Embassy described the reversal of the ban as a crucial step towards saving lives.

In December 2024, Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada issued a decree prohibiting women from attending all higher and mid-level medical education institutions. The decision drew widespread condemnation both domestically and internationally and sparked grave concern about the future of healthcare provision in Afghanistan.

The United Nations and global health experts have repeatedly warned that barring women from medical training will critically undermine Afghanistan’s already fragile healthcare system.

Afghanistan continues to report some of the highest maternal and infant mortality rates in the world. According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 24 women and 167 children die each day from preventable complications related to pregnancy and childbirth.

According to an official statement, the 20th cabinet meeting took place on 5 May under the leadership of Mohammad Hassan Akhund, the Taliban’s acting Prime Minister. The primary focus of the session was the draft plan for a nationwide population census.

The Taliban’s National Statistics and Information Authority (NSIA) was instructed to evaluate the proposal and present a final report at the next cabinet meeting. A committee, chaired by Abdul Qadeer, head of the NSIA, has been tasked with reviewing the census plan in detail and preparing recommendations.

Since assuming power in August 2021, the Taliban has reiterated its intention to conduct a comprehensive national census. Accurate data on Afghanistan’s population particularly by ethnic and social groups remains unavailable. Estimates from the previous government placed the population at approximately 33 million.

However, in August of last year, the Taliban’s Statistics Authority revised this figure, estimating the country’s population at 35.7 million.

According to eyewitnesses, the latest deployment occurred on Tuesday morning, following a protest on Monday sparked by the arrest of several residents. A call to protest was reportedly issued via loudspeaker from a local mosque, urging people to "raise their voices and make themselves heard."

In response, over 100 Taliban fighters were dispatched to Argo from Faizabad and Taloqan, where they clashed with local farmers and residents. Multiple sources allege that Taliban forces beat civilians, burned tents and motorcycles, and took a woman from the village of Shamqarchi to an unknown location.

Local residents reported that Taliban fighters opened fire on civilians during the confrontation. Fearing a public gathering, the Taliban attempted to suppress the protest, with witnesses stating that people were beaten and fled to nearby mountains to escape the violence.

A video shared with Afghanistan International captures the moment a voice over a mosque loudspeaker urged residents to protest, declaring: “Now is the time to raise our voices, and we must make ourselves heard.”

Sources confirmed that the Taliban briefly withdrew from the area following the protest but later returned in greater force to quell dissent. The group allegedly carried out further beatings and raids in surrounding areas.

Residents of Argo have expressed growing discontent over the Taliban’s poppy eradication campaign, which they say has been conducted without providing alternative livelihoods. Protesters also cited the exclusion of locals from decision-making processes and harsh treatment by "non-local" Taliban fighters as causes of unrest.

According to the statement, the group’s primary court in the Urgun district sentenced the man to 16 months in prison and 16 lashes. The sentence was reportedly carried out on Sunday, 4 May.

The Taliban’s Supreme Court regularly reports the use of corporal punishment, with such actions taking place on an almost daily basis.

International human rights organisations, including the United Nations, have repeatedly urged the Taliban to end the practice of corporal punishment, citing serious concerns over due process and the lack of access to fair legal representation.

Critics argue that the Taliban’s judicial system fails to meet international legal standards and often denies the accused basic rights, including access to a defence lawyer.

According to Abdul Mutalib Haqqani, spokesperson for the Ministry, more than 3000 of the returnees were prisoners released from various jails in Pakistan. These individuals re-entered Afghanistan through the Torkham and Spin Boldak border crossings.

Haqqani stated on the group’s state television that the Ministry has arranged essential support and transportation to assist returnees in reaching their original places of residence.

To accommodate the influx, the Ministry announced the allocation of over 60 residential settlements across the country for the returnees.

Afghan migrants residing in neighbouring countries including Iran, Pakistan, Türkiye, and Tajikistan are reportedly facing increasing pressure.

In Pakistan, authorities have intensified crackdowns on undocumented migrants and are resolute in their efforts to expel them. Conditions for asylum seekers who had previously fled Taliban rule have also deteriorated, with harsher living circumstances imposed by host countries.