Nearly 5 Million Mothers & Children Malnourished In Afghanistan, Says UN

Local residents said the outage began on 18 September. The Taliban-appointed governor of Herat has reportedly ordered money exchangers and businesses to obtain special permits to access the internet, with wireless connections restricted to registered phone numbers.

The Committee to Protect Journalists said earlier this week that fibre optic internet had already been blocked in nine provinces.

The shutdowns began in Balkh province and were carried out under a direct order from Taliban leader Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada.

The clerics have banned funeral gatherings in places other than the deceased’s home and prohibited the participation of women except for immediate relatives.

At a recent meeting with community elders, hotel owners and government representatives, the clerics said preparing food by the deceased’s family during the first three days of mourning is “discouraged” and ordered that neighbours should provide meals for mourners instead.

The council also banned traditional almsgiving on the third day, Fridays, the 40th day and death anniversaries. It instructed that donations for the poor should instead be distributed before funeral prayers.

According to the decision, distributing Qurans, household items or other goods at mourning ceremonies is prohibited. Placing cloths inscribed with Quranic verses on coffins has also been banned.

Akhundzada issued his decree in March, ordering an end to what he called “extravagance” and “un-Islamic expenses” in weddings, funerals and post-pilgrimage ceremonies.

The Balkh clerics warned hoteliers, local elders and officials that violations of the order will be prosecuted.
The ban on funeral gatherings in venues other than private homes comes after some citizens, lacking space, had used hotels or city funeral halls to host services.

The Taliban has already shut down women’s mourning halls across the country as part of its broader restrictions on women.

Despite the new limitations, Taliban leaders have themselves attended high-profile funerals, including those of former refugees minister Khalil Haqqani and Pashto poet Mutiullah Turab in Nangarhar, where senior officials made prominent appearances.

Witnesses said the arrests began when Taliban forces detained Dawood Kalantar, a shopkeeper who joined Tuesday’s protest. Other shopkeepers who went to inquire about him were also taken into custody.

Residents said the protest broke out after Taliban officials attempted to demolish stores in the city’s auction market. Shopkeepers resisted, arguing that the Taliban had collected taxes from the same businesses for years but were now seeking to destroy them without notice.

Several shopkeepers said the properties have been in their families for more than four decades and demanded that the Taliban provide alternative business sites before carrying out demolitions. They warned that hundreds of families would lose their livelihoods if the shops were destroyed.

Haji Zaid, spokesperson for the Taliban governor in Balkh, said the demolition was ordered under a decision by Taliban authorities in Kabul, which had contracted the land to be redeveloped into a commercial market. He said local officials were holding talks with the protesters to address their concerns.

In an interview with Al Jazeera, Mujahid said Taliban relations with the United States are primarily focused on political and economic issues. He recently travelled to Doha, where he expressed solidarity with Qatar and met local officials.

The United States lists the Taliban as a “global terrorist organisation,” and several of its senior leaders remain under sanctions. Washington froze Afghanistan’s central bank assets after the Taliban seized power in 2021 and has said normalising ties depends on fundamental changes in the group’s human rights record.

Taliban leaders have repeatedly demanded recognition from foreign governments, including the United States, and pressed for sanctions relief. So far, only Russia has formally recognised the group.

Since March, US delegations have visited Afghanistan at least twice. Visitors have included Adam Boehler, presidential envoy for hostage affairs, and Zalmay Khalilzad, Washington’s former special representative for Afghanistan. Talks with Taliban officials have focused largely on the release of American hostages.

the Taliban defense minister reaffirmed the group’s commitment to the Doha Agreement, saying Afghan soil would not be used to threaten other countries. He also highlighted efforts to build a conventional army, claiming “significant steps” had already been taken.

The sources said Akhundzada insists that his loyal representatives must attend all meetings between Taliban officials and foreign envoys. His dissatisfaction grew after Baradar’s 16 September meeting in Kabul with Adam Boehler, the US president’s special envoy for hostage affairs, according to sources in Kabul and Kandahar.

One source in Kandahar questioned why the US delegation met Baradar instead of Taliban Prime Minister Mullah Hassan Akhund.

Akhundzada has reportedly instructed that senior figures including the ministers of Hajj and Religious Affairs, Mines, Justice, or Higher Education, the chief justice, the governors of Kandahar or Balkh, or the prime minister must participate in any talks with foreign officials. All are expected to follow his directives fully.

Several Taliban ministers, including Mines and Petroleum Minister Hedayatullah Badri, the ministers of finance and economy, Deputy Interior Minister Ibrahim Sadr, and the Taliban-appointed central bank chief, later travelled to Kandahar to deliver the US delegation’s message on American prisoners.

At the Kabul meeting, Boehler told Baradar that both sides had adhered to the Doha Agreement. Baradar briefed the Americans on Afghanistan’s economic conditions, unemployment, and efforts to combat narcotics, and urged Washington to pursue engagement rather than confrontation. Baradar’s office said Boehler confirmed that Washington and the Taliban would exchange prisoners.

But sources said Akhundzada views the talks between Baradar and other Taliban officials with Boehler and former US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad as unauthorized. He has accused some officials of disobedience.

“He removed Khairullah Khairkhwa from the Ministry of Information and Culture for failing to fully carry out his instructions,” one source said. “He is now looking for an excuse to sideline Baradar as well and may reassign him to another post.”

The Taliban has not issued an official comment.