23 Million Need Humanitarian Aid In Afghanistan, Says UNICEF

The seminary was founded on 6 September 1947 by Abdul Haq Haqqani in Akora Khattak, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. A graduate of Darul Uloom Deoband in India, he modelled the institution on that school, earning it the nickname “Pakistan’s Little Deoband”.

Its curriculum is based on that of Darul Uloom Deoband, teaching Islamic sciences including Qur’an, hadith, jurisprudence and Arabic.

Many senior Afghan Taliban figures, including founder Mullah Mohammad Omar, studied at the seminary.

Once a major hub for training Islamist militants, including Afghan Taliban members, the school is now seeing a sharp decline in Afghan students.

Yousaf Shah, a spokesman for the seminary, told Afghanistan International that the number of Afghan Taliban has dropped significantly since the group returned to power in Afghanistan.

He said many Afghan students and teachers have returned to Afghanistan and are now active there.

Gul Rasool Mohammadi, a graduate of the seminary, said 13 former teachers have established new religious schools across Kabul, Nangarhar, Ghazni, Khost, Badakhshan, Paktika, Kunduz, Uruzgan, Balkh and Maidan Wardak provinces.

According to him, the Deh Sabz madrasa in Kabul, with more than 2,000 students, is now the largest religious school in Afghanistan.

Difficulties in obtaining Pakistani visas, border closures and rising tensions between the Taliban and Pakistan have also restricted Afghan students’ access to Pakistani religious schools.

Since returning to power, the Taliban have prioritised the expansion of religious education. Senior officials such as Sirajuddin Haqqani, Abdul Ghani Baradar and Amir Khan Muttaqi are reported to be involved in running religious schools in various provinces.

Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said in January 2026 that more than 20,000 madrasas are now operating under the group's education ministry, with around 2.5 million students enrolled in religious studies.

Mohammad Mohaqiq, leader of the People’s Islamic Unity Party of Afghanistan and a member of the National Resistance Council for the Salvation of Afghanistan, said in an interview on Sunday, April 19, that the Durand Line remains a key point of dispute between the Taliban and Pakistan. He claimed the Taliban consider about 35% of Pakistan’s territory as part of Afghanistan.

In the interview, Mohaqiq said: “We are committed to the UN’s delineation.” He compared Afghanistan’s current political map to a mulberry leaf, saying he accepts the country’s geography as it stands.

Referring to Amir Abdur Rahman Khan, the former Afghan ruler, he said that regardless of who signed the original agreement, the United Nations and the international community now recognise the Durand Line.

Mohaqiq added that those raising territorial claims against Pakistan should assess their own strength, describing Pakistan as a nuclear power and saying he does not support continuing the dispute.

In 1893, during the rule of Amir Abdur Rahman Khan, an agreement was signed between Afghanistan and British India defining the border, later known as the Durand Line after British diplomat Henry Mortimer Durand.

Like previous Afghan governments, the Taliban administration does not recognise the Durand Line as the official border. Amid rising tensions, Taliban defence minister Mullah Yaqoob has said that one of Pakistan’s demands in talks was for the Taliban to recognise the line.

Mohaqiq also said he had previously discussed the issue with former president Hamid Karzai, arguing at the time that rejecting the Durand Line was not in Afghanistan’s interest.

He recalled telling Karzai: “If we claim Attock, they [Pakistan] will come up to Matak [Northern Kabul].”

Mohaqiq said there are differing views among Afghan politicians on the Durand Line, but he has never concealed his position.

UN-Habitat said in a post on X on Monday, April 20, that immediate action is required to address the needs of people in Afghanistan.

The organisation added that the 13th World Urban Forum is set to be held in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, where housing, vital for Afghans, will be a key topic, stressing that action must be taken now to ensure adequate housing for all.

Recent floods in Afghanistan, which began on March 26, have caused significant loss of life and damage.

According to figures released by Taliban authorities, more than 100 people have died in recent incidents including earthquakes, floods and roof collapses across the country.

The Middle East Institute said it has collected, verified and mapped information on over 1,200 Taliban leaders and officials. According to its findings, 67 individuals are currently subject to international sanctions.

Most cabinet members are sanctioned, highlighting the Taliban’s deep isolation within the international community.

These sanctions have been imposed by the United Nations, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, the European Union and other major actors.

Among the Taliban’s 33 cabinet members, between 13 and 14 are listed under UN sanctions, according to the latest updates by the UN Security Council’s 1988 Sanctions Committee in March and April 2026.

Those listed include Prime Minister Mohammad Hassan Akhund, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Abdul Ghani Baradar, deputy prime minister for administrative affairs Abdul Salam Hanafi, Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, and several other ministers overseeing energy, mines, economy, justice and transport.

UN sanctions against the Taliban stem from Security Council resolutions 1267 (1999) and 1988 (2011), and include asset freezes, travel bans and arms embargoes.

The current UN sanctions list includes 135 individuals and five entities linked to the Taliban.

The main criterion for listing is association with the Taliban and posing a threat to peace, stability and security in Afghanistan. The sanctions committee regularly updates entries, with information on 26 Taliban officials revised in recent months.

The European Union and the United Kingdom largely align their sanctions with the UN list, with the EU also targeting 135 individuals and five entities under its restrictive measures.

The UK enforces the same UN-based sanctions and coordinates travel exemptions for certain officials with the 1988 Committee.

The United States has imposed broader and stricter sanctions, designating the Taliban under its Specially Designated Global Terrorist programme and listing the Haqqani network as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.

Reports indicate that more than half of the Taliban cabinet is subject to US terrorism-related sanctions.

US measures include asset freezes, bans on transactions involving US citizens and companies, and the risk of secondary sanctions for foreign banks and firms.

Other countries, including Canada, Australia, France and several European states, have also imposed coordinated or independent sanctions on the Taliban and its officials.

For example, Australia sanctioned four senior Taliban officials in December 2025 over violations of women’s rights and broader human rights abuses.

Canada has also implemented additional human rights sanctions against Taliban officials alongside its UN-aligned measures.

Abdul Rahim Rashid, spokesman for the Taliban’s Supreme Court, said Haqqani also travelled on Friday evening to Gereshk district in Helmand, where he visited the grave of Dawood Muzammil, the group’s former governor in Balkh.

Taliban authorities have released only images and videos of Haqqani’s visit, with no visuals of Akhundzada published.

The spokesman said Akhundzada and Haqqani laid the foundation stone of a grand mosque after Friday prayers.