EU Pledges €161 Million In Humanitarian Aid For Afghanistan

According to Mohammad Kamal Afghan, spokesperson for the Taliban’s Ministry of Urban Development and Housing, 1,000 acres of land have been allocated in the Deh Sabz district of Kabul for the university’s new campus.

Speaking on Tuesday to state-run television, he said the request for land was made by the Ministry of Higher Education and approved by Taliban leader Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada.

Due to the unavailability of a single, contiguous plot of land, the allocated area will be distributed across several locations, he added.

Kamal Afghan described the new institution as a “highly specialised” university that will offer graduate and doctoral programmes, with plans for further development and expansion in the years ahead.

Prior to the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, the American University of Afghanistan was widely regarded as one of the country’s top academic institutions, known for its liberal arts curriculum and ties to Western universities. The Kabul campus was shut down following the fall of the Afghan government, with operations subsequently relocated to Doha, Qatar. Many students were transferred to regional institutions to complete their studies.

Despite its academic reputation, the university had long been a target of Taliban attacks. The group carried out multiple deadly assaults on the campus and abducted foreign faculty members in high-profile incidents.

Speaking during a meeting with Norway’s chargé d’affaires for Pakistan and Afghanistan, Sharei said the new laws are being developed by religious scholars and legal experts and will be finalised following review and approval by Taliban leader Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada.

“The subsidiary laws are derived from the Holy Quran, the traditions of the Prophet (Sunnah), and credible sources of Hanafi jurisprudence,” Sharei stated.

According to the Ministry of Justice, the Norwegian chargé d’affaires emphasised that Norway continues to prioritise its relationship with the Taliban and is working to maintain and strengthen diplomatic engagement.

Sharei also said that both the Ministry of Justice and the Supreme Court had submitted proposals to amend some existing laws, but the Taliban leader rejected the suggestions as unacceptable.

The Taliban have previously declared that their legal framework will be free from “the influence of Western culture.” Since taking power in August 2021, the group has initiated a comprehensive review of Afghanistan’s legal code and announced that any laws conflicting with their interpretation of Islamic principles will be annulled.

According to the EU agency women and girls, in particular face disproportionate hardships under Taliban rule.

In a video message posted on the social media platform X, the agency expressed deep concern over the growing number of Afghan returnees and the increasing challenges they encounter in accessing aid and basic services.

Gioia Benedetti, a staff member with the EU agency in Afghanistan, said that approximately 4.8 million people are at risk of forced deportation, many from Pakistan and Iran.

“Every day we are witnessing hundreds of families returning from Pakistan and Iran,” she said. “They arrive with few belongings and face dire conditions.”

The agency highlighted the worsening situation for Afghan women and girls, who continue to be denied access to education and employment under Taliban-imposed restrictions.

The warning follows a joint appeal by five UN-affiliated agencies urging urgent action to address Afghanistan’s worsening nutrition crisis. The UN organisations noted that the country ranks among the 15 worst globally for child malnutrition, with four in ten women suffering from undernutrition.

On Tuesday, the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum announced the termination of the Amu Darya oil field contract, originally signed in January 2023. Ministry spokesperson Homayoun Afghan stated that the cancellation followed a formal investigation by a joint committee, which found Afchin had committed multiple breaches of the agreement.

“The contract was annulled due to repeated violations by the contracting company of its commitments,” Afghan wrote on X (formerly Twitter). He added that the decision was approved by the Taliban Prime Minister’s Office following a recommendation from the group’s Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs.

The contract was initially signed in the presence of Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban’s deputy prime minister for economic affairs, and China’s ambassador to Afghanistan. It involved a joint venture between China’s state-linked Central Asia Petroleum and Energy Company (CPEIC) and Afghanistan’s state-owned oil and gas company, with the Chinese side holding a 75 percent stake.

The agreement covered oil extraction from a 4,500-square-kilometre area spanning the northern provinces of Sar-e Pol, Jowzjan, and Faryab. It was expected to scale production from 200 tonnes of oil per day to 20,000 tonnes over time, with an initial Chinese investment of $150 million, rising to $540 million within three years.

Key provisions required the company to construct a refinery inside Afghanistan and banned the export of crude oil. Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid previously confirmed that the deal included a clause for automatic cancellation if obligations were not fulfilled within a year.

The Ministry of Mines and Petroleum has not publicly disclosed the specific violations that led to the cancellation. However, officials have now invited international companies with oil sector expertise to review the legal and financial documents of the voided agreement and formally express interest in the project.

In a statement issued this week, ministry spokesperson Saif-ul-Islam Khyber warned that individuals who violate the directive will face serious legal consequences. “No one should misuse social media,” he said, adding that online platforms must be used solely for “sharing accurate information, business, education, and public awareness.”

The announcement marks the latest in a series of restrictions the Taliban have imposed on digital platforms. The ministry, in coordination with the Taliban’s intelligence agency, has previously detained and reportedly tortured several social media users accused of spreading anti-Taliban content.

Since regaining power in August 2021, the Taliban have sharply curtailed freedom of expression in Afghanistan. Special monitoring teams have been established to surveil online behaviour, track dissenting voices, and enforce digital compliance with the regime’s strict ideological rules.