Afghanistan

Students at public and private universities in Kandahar told Afghanistan International that Taliban morality inspectors have removed dozens of students from classrooms and barred them from examinations for trimming or shaving their beards.

The Taliban’s Defence Ministry says it carried out air strikes overnight on what it described as Islamic State-linked centres in Pakistan’s Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces.

The Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect says the arrests in Herat took place in the context of institutionalised discrimination and repression of women and girls and could amount to crimes against humanity.

Maxime Prévot, Belgium’s foreign minister has opposed the EU’s decision to invite Taliban representatives to Brussels, saying he would not accept Belgium inviting them in its own name, Reuters reported.

Informed sources tell Afghanistan International that a vehicle which recently hit a group of girls in Kabul belongs to a Taliban official. Some sources say the driver was the son of the Taliban’s Islam Qala customs chief.

Dozens of Afghan and international rights and civil society groups have warned EU leaders against normalising ties with the Taliban and urged an immediate halt to deportations of Afghan asylum seekers.

Local sources say the Taliban has strengthened its military presence in Panjshir by setting up new security checkpoints and tightening night-time movement restrictions.

The European Union says lasting peace, stability and prosperity in Afghanistan can only be achieved through an inclusive, national and Afghan-led political process with meaningful participation by women.

Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Taliban’s foreign minister, and Rosemary DiCarlo, the UN under-secretary-general, held a telephone conversation on humanitarian aid for Afghans in need and the effectiveness of aid delivery.

Local sources in Herat told Afghanistan International that Taliban morality police detained two girls near Abdul Ali Shah Tokhi School in the Imam Fakhr Razi area of the province.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has warned that prolonged drought and expanding desertification are posing a serious threat to food security in Afghanistan.

Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has reaffirmed support for the Trans-Afghan railway project, saying Uzbekistan is actively working on the transport corridor. He said the route would provide direct access to southern seaports.

The Taliban’s security chief for the Herat police command, Najibullah Ali, has announced that the group will continue detaining women in the province over alleged violations of its dress code.

Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for India’s Ministry of External Affairs, announced on Wednesday that India has sent five tons of medicines to Kabul.

Uzbekistan’s State Security Service has announced the seizure of nearly 38 kilograms of narcotics smuggled from Afghanistan.

Information obtained by Afghanistan International indicates that the Taliban are attempting to alter the narrative surrounding the death of Morteza, a 16-year-old boy who died after being wounded during protests in Herat.

Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has described Afghanistan as the main source of terrorism and blamed it for insecurity in the provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.

The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has reported that more than 8.8 million children in Afghanistan face climate-related risks. According to the report, over 75 percent of Afghan children are exposed to drought, while more than half face longer and more frequent heatwaves.