As Trump invokes Bagram, story of the strategic air base in Afghanistan

May 6, 2025

Written by Rishika Singh

Indian Express
May 4, 2025

The Bagram Airflied was built in the 1950s by the USSR. It has played a central role in the Soviet-Afghan War (1979-89) as well as the American misadventure in Afghanistan (2001-21). Today it is under the control of the Taliban.

US President Donald Trump on Thursday claimed that China now occupies the Bagram Airfield, which American forces had vacated weeks before pulling out from Afghanistan in 2021.

Trump claimed that the Americans were going to “keep” Bagram which is “an hour away from where China makes its nuclear weapons”. But “they (presumably the Joe Biden administration) gave Bagram up, and right now, China occupies Bagram,” he said.

It is unclear which Chinese nuclear facility Trump was referring to. The closest known testing site is 2,000 km away at Lop Nur in Xinjiang, where China tested its first atom bomb in 1964. The closest nuclear weapons facility is the Koko Nur complex, further east in the Qinghai province.

When Trump made similar comments in March, the Taliban had issued a strong denial. “Bagram is controlled by the Islamic Emirate (Taliban), not China. Chinese troops are not present here, nor do we have any such pact with any country,” it had said.

The air base was originally built by the Soviets in the 1950s, during the early days of the Cold War, when both the US and the USSR were jockeying for influence in Afghanistan. In 1959, for his landmark visit to the country, then US President Dwight Eisenhower landed in Bagram.

During the Soviet-Afghan War from 1979-89, Bagram became a vital Soviet base. Troops from airborne divisions were deployed from Bagram, and Sukhoi Su-25s flew daily missions against mujahideen in the mountains from the base. The base was fortified, and began housing military personnel.

Expanded by US
After the Soviet withdrawal, in the 1990s, the abandoned Bagram base became a frontline in a war between the Taliban, who held Kabul to the south, and the Northern Alliance fighters based in mountain gorges to its north. The airbase was heavily damaged as a result.

After the September 11, 2001 attacks, the US and its allies took over the Bagram Airfield. Over the next two decades, as the “War on Terror” raged on, Bagram became the epicentre of the American presence in Afghanistan.

The base was further expanded — it grew to over 77 sq km — and a new, improved runway, almost 3.5 km-long, was constructed, as were medical facilities and fast food joints for US personnel.

A disused hangar also ended up being used as a detention facility, which has drawn comparisons to Guantanamo Bay base in Cuba due to reports of torture and abuse by US soldiers.

American exit, Chinese stakes
The previous Trump administration in 2020 signed a deal with the Taliban, which provided for a pullout of all NATO troops from Afghanistan soil.

Over the next year, the Taliban gained ground as the US began pulling resources from Afghanistan. The final American aircraft took off from the Kabul airport on August 30, 2021. US forces had vacated Bagram on July 2; the base fell to the Taliban on August 15.

With little domestic support for keeping troops in Afghanistan, keeping the Bagram Airfield was never on the cards. “Retaining Bagram would have required putting as many as 5,000 US troops in harm’s way just to operate and defend it,” then Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin told the House Armed Services Committee in September 2021.

The base is under Taliban control today. That said, the US has long been concerned over China making inroads into Afghanistan after its exit. Even as most countries have been wary of fully engaging with the Taliban, China gave the Taliban representative in Beijing ambassador credentials last year.

For China, relations with Afghanistan matter because it has a sizable Muslim population of its own in the bordering Xinjiang. Beijing would want to ensure that radical elements in Afghanistan do not cross over into its own territory. To that end, it has attempted to bolster ties within a limited framework and also made some investments in Afghanistan.

Rishika Singh is a Senior sub-editor at the Explained Desk of The Indian Express. She enjoys writing on issues related to international relations, and in particular, likes to follow analyses of news from China. Additionally, she writes on developments related to politics and culture in India.

As Trump invokes Bagram, story of the strategic air base in Afghanistan
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‘Whipped in front of everyone’: three women on being flogged by the Taliban

May 6, 2025
Rad Radan

Three Afghan women who were brutally flogged in public by the Taliban after being accused of “moral crimes” have bravely spoken out about the cruelty they endured.

More than 1,000 people – at least 200 of whom were women – are now known to have been humiliated in public floggings since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, according to court records and media reports. The true numbers are probably much higher.

Among those who were whipped are women accused of “moral crimes”, which include leaving home without a close male relative to act as a mahram (guardian) or being seen speaking to unrelated men.

All three women who spoke to the Guardian and Zan Times, an Afghan news agency, said they had been forced to confess to alleged moral crimes before they were punished.

Deeba: ‘They called me a prostitute’

With her husband working in Iran, 38-year-old Deeba* is the sole provider for her seven children. As a tailor, she sews men’s clothes in her home and goes out alone to deliver them.

In the past two years, she has been arrested twice by the Taliban’s “morality police”. The first time was when she was renting a sewing machine from a man she was not related to. She says she was beaten, called a “prostitute” and spent four nights in jail.

The second arrest happened three months later when she was sitting in a cafe charging her phone. She was wearing a long coat and a large shawl, but the Taliban “vice and virtue” enforcers still questioned her.

“They said, ‘Why are you unveiled? Why are you alone without a mahram?’ I told them, ‘The earthquake [Afghanistan was hit by several in 2023] has made it hard to go home. There’s no electricity. That’s why I came here to charge my phone and grab a sandwich.’”

Her answer provoked the Taliban even further. “They kicked the sandwich shop owner out of his own place and slapped him, shouting, ‘Why did you let this woman into your store? What relationship do you have with her?’ When I saw them treating him like that, I argued with them.”

Two days later, she was arrested and taken into custody by the Taliban and accused of insulting the police, as well as being a woman without a mahram outside her home. She was held in prison for 20 days.

“There were 15 of us in one cell. Four beds; the rest slept on the floor. They weren’t giving us food. The blankets were filthy.

“I asked for my phone to call home because my daughter was sick and didn’t know I’d been arrested, but the Taliban refused. I screamed, begged. But instead they threw me into a solitary cell.”

Deeba was brought before a Taliban court. No lawyer represented her. The judge convicted her of appearing without a male guardian and insulting religious scholars. She was sentenced to 25 lashes.

“They took me to a public place, covered my head, and whipped me in front of everyone,” she says. Deeba says she was then detained for another two days to ensure some of her wounds healed.

Since returning home, Deeba says she has struggled with the humiliation of the public flogging and is on medication to cope with her trauma.

“When I was released, even my closest friends started treating me differently. They called me names and spoke about me with such disgust because they’d been told lies about what happened.

“It was just so hard. Unbearably hard. Can anyone understand what it’s like to be slapped in front of a crowd, punched in front of people, covered up and flogged in public?”

Sahar: ‘If I didn’t obey, I’d be tortured’

Sahar*, 22, was very sick last year. Her father worked in Iran and her mother ran a carpet-weaving workshop in a village in western Afghanistan. There was no one to take her to the clinic where two of her uncles were working. Her mother called her male cousin to drive her.

The Taliban stopped their vehicle just before reaching the clinic and asked about their relationship.

“When we said we are cousins but we weren’t married, they became aggressive. They beat my cousin, smashed our phones, and forced me to hide on the floor of the Taliban truck as they drove me to their station,” says Sahar.

She says she was then taken to a detention centre. “I was terrified, crying, and I couldn’t breathe.

“I told them I was sick and asked for some medicine. That’s when they slapped me and kicked me several times. One of them said, ‘If you raise your voice again, we’ll kill you and your cousin.’”

Sahar says she was interrogated by a veiled woman. “She asked who my cousin was; whether I was a virgin; whether we had a relationship. I said no. She warned me that I had to confess and if I didn’t obey, I’d be tortured.”

The next day, Sahar and her cousin were brought before a Taliban court, where she says she was forced to falsely claim she had a relationship with her cousin. She had no lawyer. Despite the presence of relatives who testified that they were family, the Taliban refused to recognise their relationship as mahram and permissible.

“They made me confess, in front of my mother, my uncles, that I had done something wrong. I didn’t want to say it. But they hit me, threatened my cousin. I was terrified,” she says.

Sahar says she was sentenced to 30 lashes and her cousin to 70. “They used loudspeakers to announce our punishment. My little sister was there. She used to say I was her role model. I saw her crying in the crowd. That broke me.”

After returning home, Sahar says she was forced to leave her village. “After this happened, people’s view of us changed completely. Even if 50 people didn’t believe the accusation, 100 others did. That forced us to leave our home and move to the city.”

Karima: ‘They tied me down and stepped on me’

A similar story is told by 18-year-old Karima* in another western province. In 2023, aged 16, she says she was travelling with her male cousin to buy sewing supplies for her mother when the Taliban stopped them.

“We were stopped on the road. The Taliban asked for our IDs. I told them he was my cousin, but they said, ‘That’s not a valid mahram. You don’t have the right to be with him.’ They arrested us on the spot.”

She spent two months in prison and suffered panic attacks and hallucinations. “I blacked out,” Karima says. “When I woke up, my wrists were handcuffed and bleeding, and another prisoner told me they had tied me down and stepped on me.”

Karima says she and her cousin were flogged in the main square of the city where they lived. She was given 39 lashes and her cousin received 50. They were then taken back to prison.

“They kept us for another week. They said we couldn’t leave until the wounds healed. They didn’t want anyone to see what they had done.”

When she was released, Taliban officials told her she was banned from leaving the country: “‘You’re being watched,’ they told me, ‘You’re not allowed to go abroad.’”

However, like Sahar and Deeba, the humiliation of people staring at her and whispering about her when she went back to her home village forced her to move to a different city in Afghanistan.

* Names have been changed to protect their identities

‘Whipped in front of everyone’: three women on being flogged by the Taliban
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EU urges Medical Education access for women in Afghanistan

May 6, 2025
Khaama Press

The EU emphasized the importance of medical education access for Afghan women on International Midwives Day, aiming to improve healthcare.

On May 5, the European Union marked the International Day of the Midwife by emphasizing the critical role of Afghan midwives in reducing maternal and infant mortality. The EU highlighted that empowering midwives strengthens Afghanistan’s healthcare system and called for unrestricted access to medical education for women and girls.

The EU’s statement comes amid ongoing restrictions imposed by the Taliban, including a ban on women pursuing medical education, which has drawn widespread condemnation from international health organizations. These restrictions have exacerbated Afghanistan’s already dire maternal health crisis.

Afghanistan continues to have one of the highest maternal mortality rates globally, with 638 deaths per 100,000 live births. The World Health Organization reports that daily, 24 mothers and 167 infants die from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth.

The shortage of qualified female healthcare providers, particularly midwives, has been intensified by the Taliban’s policies. Many female medical professionals have left their positions due to harassment and restrictive regulations, leaving rural areas especially underserved.

International organizations, including the United Nations, warn that without immediate action to restore women’s access to medical education and employment, Afghanistan’s maternal health crisis will worsen. The EU urges the Taliban to lift educational bans and support the training and deployment of midwives to save lives and stabilize the healthcare system.

EU urges Medical Education access for women in Afghanistan
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The New York Times wins Pulitzer Prize for reporting on US Defeat in Afghanistan

May 6, 2025
Khaama Press

 

The New York Times wins a Pulitzer Prize for its report on the U.S. defeat and failures in Afghanistan.

The winners of the prestigious 2025 Pulitzer Prizes have been announced on Monday, May 5th, with two awards given to reports from The New York Times and The New Yorker on the failures of the U.S. military in Afghanistan and Iraq. According to the Pulitzer jury, The New York Times excellently demonstrated how the U.S. support for local militias led to the displacement of the Afghan people and laid the seeds for the eventual Taliban takeover.

One of the militia commanders, who had the backing of U.S. forces, was reported to have been involved in the disappearance of civilians. These investigative reports shed light on the controversial role of the U.S. military in Afghanistan, revealing the complex relationships between American forces and local militias.

The New York Times also received three other awards for outstanding foreign reporting on Sudan’s civil war, best photo of the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump in Pennsylvania, and a joint report on the deadly drug crisis in the U.S. The report on the opioid epidemic brought attention to the devastating impact of fentanyl and the challenges in combating this crisis.

Reuters was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting for its series on the global trade in chemicals used to manufacture fentanyl. The Reuters team, with a budget of only $3,600, successfully purchased the necessary chemicals to show how cheap and easily accessible these substances are. This report highlighted the difficulty U.S. authorities face in controlling this dangerous trade.

Other major winners included The Wall Street Journal, which won the National Reporting award for its coverage of political changes surrounding Elon Musk, and The Washington Post, which received the Breaking News award for its coverage of the failed assassination attempt on Trump during his campaign in Pennsylvania.

Anne Telnes, a former cartoonist for The Washington Post, was recognized for her insightful visual commentary. She had resigned from the paper earlier in January after the publication withheld her cartoon about Jeff Bezos, the owner of The Washington Post. The jury praised her courage and critical perspective.

Among other notable publications, The New Yorker received three awards for Best Commentary on Gaza, Best Visual Report, and Best Podcast. Meanwhile, ProPublica was awarded the Public Service Prize for its report on the nationwide impact of abortion bans in the U.S.

The Pulitzer Prizes, established in 1917, continue to honor exceptional work in journalism and literature. This year, 15 Pulitzer Prizes were awarded across various fields of journalism, and eight prizes were given in the arts, including music, theater, and fiction.

Each winner receives a cash prize of $15,000, with the awards presented annually by Columbia University in New York.

The 2025 Pulitzer Prizes highlight the critical role of investigative journalism in uncovering pressing global issues, from the U.S. military’s actions in Afghanistan to the ongoing opioid crisis. The recognition of such important work underscores the continued relevance of the Pulitzer Prizes in honoring journalism that has a lasting impact on society.

The New York Times wins Pulitzer Prize for reporting on US Defeat in Afghanistan
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Atlantic Council to Hold Meeting on Future US Policy Toward Afghanistan

May 6, 2025
TOLOnews
TV Network
4 May 2025

Such meetings, analysts argue, may help foster relations between Kabul and Washington and clarify the United States’ policy direction regarding Afghanistan.

The Atlantic Council, in collaboration with the Andiana Foundation, will hold a meeting on the 13th of this month focused on “Assessing US Policy Options Toward Afghanistan.”

In a statement, the council noted that the session will evaluate the political and security outlook in Afghanistan, its implications for US strategic interests, and the future direction of US policy toward the country.

The statement reads: “Still, engagements between US officials and the Taliban on issues like counterterrorism, humanitarian aid, and the release of detainees have progressed, despite the lack of a coherent long-term strategy. Our discussion will assess the country’s evolving political and security landscape, its implications for US strategic interests, and the way forward for US policy on Afghanistan.”

Moeen Gul Samkani, a political analyst, said: “They will first organize a formal session and only later begin negotiations with the Islamic Emirate—perhaps holding several informal and undisclosed meetings, progressing step by step.”

Such meetings, analysts argue, may help foster relations between Kabul and Washington and clarify the United States’ policy direction regarding Afghanistan.

Fazl Rahman Oria, another political analyst, stated: “In my view, based on their latest evaluations, the US will gradually re-engage with Afghanistan, reopening a path for interaction.”

Janat Faheem Chakari, also a political analyst, commented: “Relations between Afghanistan and the United States remain unclear, and it is still unknown whether Afghanistan will become a central issue in US foreign policy or remain on its periphery.”

Earlier, the Atlantic Council presented a set of recommendations to the UN Secretary-General aimed at preventing conflict in Afghanistan and called for the development of a strategy led by the UN’s Special Representative.

Atlantic Council to Hold Meeting on Future US Policy Toward Afghanistan
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WHO Warns of Deepening Health Crisis in Afghanistan

May 6, 2025
TOLOnews
TV Network
6 May 2025

Edwin Ceniza Salvador urged the international community not to forget Afghanistan in terms of humanitarian and health aid.

The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Afghanistan has warned that the country’s healthcare system is severely weakened, with a large portion of medical expenses falling on the shoulders of the people.

Edwin Ceniza Salvador urged the international community not to forget Afghanistan in terms of humanitarian and health aid.

“Maybe around 79 to 80 percent of the health sector is supported by international, and is supported by out-of-pocket, which means that people have to pay from their pocket 80 percent of the cost of health care. 19 percent of that comes from the international community. One percent comes from the de facto government.
So you’re looking at one percent from the de facto, 19 percent from the international community, and 80 percent from the people,” he said.

This WHO representative pointed to the sharp decline in international aid, particularly the halt in US assistance, which previously accounted for 47 percent of support. He said that efforts are ongoing to attract support from other countries, including the European Union and Gulf nations.

Edwin Ceniza Salvador said: ”Increase partnership with other goodwill donors like the European Union, whether they can find additional resources that they’re already supporting in addition to what they’re supporting to Afghanistan. And maybe also encourage other partners like the Gulf state, like the other governments that don’t usually support Afghanistan as much. Maybe we’re having a dialogue collectively to see if they can increase their support to Afghanistan, to at least cover some of the loss that has been because of the US government.”

Meanwhile, doctors in Afghanistan also confirm the fragile state of healthcare services and speak of the pressure on health centers due to dwindling resources.

Abdulwahid Safa, a doctor, said: “In remote areas of our country, people are facing extreme poverty and health problems. There is an urgent need for support in areas such as child and maternal nutrition and the provision of essential aid.”

Mujtaba Sufi, a doctor, stated: “People are highly dependent on healthcare assistance, salary payments for health workers, building rent, and other essential needs. These areas, which are linked to the WHO, should not be politicized or halted. Community health depends on this aid, but at the same time, self-sufficiency should also be considered.”

Despite these warnings, on April 29, the Ministry of Public Health announced that efforts toward self-sufficiency in the healthcare system are ongoing.

The ministry’s spokesperson pledged that despite the closure of several health centers previously supported by international organizations, healthcare services in the country remain stable.

WHO Warns of Deepening Health Crisis in Afghanistan
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India-Pakistan tensions disrupt Afghanistan’s trade

May 5, 2025
Khaama Press
Recent India-Pakistan tensions have severely disrupted Afghanistan’s trade, stranding containers and causing major financial losses for Afghan exporters.

Recent tensions between India and Pakistan have once again impacted Afghanistan’s fragile economy, creating serious challenges for the country’s most lucrative export market.

The Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment (ACCI) has announced that over 2,000 containers belonging to Afghan traders are stranded at the Wagah and Karachi ports due to halted trade between India and Pakistan.

Khan Jan Alokozai, a board member of ACCI, told the state-run National Television under the interim administration that Pakistan is not allowing the transit of Indian goods through its territory to Afghanistan.

This action comes in response to India’s sanctions and the closure of the Wagah border. Wagah, the shortest and most cost-effective trade route for Afghanistan’s exports to India, plays a vital role in the country’s $500 million annual dry fruit trade with India.

Alokozai also stated that around 1,500 to 2,000 containers carrying Indian goods—including food, sugar, legumes, and pharmaceuticals—are stuck at Karachi port and other transit routes such as Torkham and Chaman.

The Chamber of Commerce reports that this blockade is causing Afghan traders to incur hundreds of thousands of dollars in losses daily.

Khalid Ahmad Rahmani, spokesperson for Afghanistan’s Dried Fruit Exporters Union, confirmed that about 150 trucks loaded with transit goods remain stranded at the Wagah border. He warned that the continued halt could lead to a sharp decline in Afghanistan’s dry fruit exports to India.

The current tensions escalated following a deadly attack on tourists in the Pahalgam region of Indian-administered Kashmir in April 2025.

India blamed Pakistan for supporting the perpetrators of the attack and responded with retaliatory actions including suspending the Indus Waters Treaty, and closing both its airspace and the Wagah port to Pakistan.

In retaliation, Pakistan shut its airspace to Indian flights and closed the Wagah border, with its National Security Committee calling India’s moves “acts of war” and threatening a military response.

These developments have not only pushed India-Pakistan relations to a breaking point but have also severely impacted third-party trade—especially that of landlocked Afghanistan.

Noor Ahmad Noor, Director General of Political Affairs at Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated during a meeting in Kabul that the Wagah closure has caused significant damage to Afghanistan’s trade sector and created serious logistical challenges.

Meanwhile, some Taliban officials have mentioned alternative trade routes. Abdul Salam Jawad Akhundzada, spokesperson for the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, stated that if the Wagah port remains closed, Afghanistan could continue trade with India through Iran’s Chabahar port.

Although this route is longer and more expensive, it is being considered as a potential alternative to reduce reliance on Pakistan.

The regional power struggle between India and Pakistan continues to exert collateral damage on Afghanistan’s economy, particularly its export-dependent agricultural sector. As land routes remain blocked, Afghan traders are seeking alternative corridors, despite higher costs.

The situation underscores Afghanistan’s vulnerability as a landlocked nation dependent on neighboring countries’ political stability. Sustainable trade solutions, regional cooperation, and diversified access to ports are now more crucial than ever for the country’s economic survival.

India-Pakistan tensions disrupt Afghanistan’s trade
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Deported Afghans Report Inhumane Treatment by Pakistani Police

May 5, 2025
Bibi Amina Hakimi
TOLOnews’ Reporter
5 May 2025

They say that during their detention in Pakistan, their children fell ill, and they are now calling for greater support from the Islamic Emirate.

Afghans deported from Pakistan report inhumane treatment by the country’s police.

They say that during their detention in Pakistan, their children fell ill, and they are now calling for greater support from the Islamic Emirate.

Abdul Khaliq, deported from Pakistan, said: “Our child is sick. He became ill while in prison in Pakistan. My wife is also unwell. We need assistance.”

Mohammad Zahir, another deportee from Pakistan, said: “We lived in Pakistan for ten years. All of our property is still there.”

Meanwhile, some deportees from Pakistan and Iran said economic hardship was the main reason for their migration. They emphasize that the Islamic Emirate should help provide shelter and job opportunities.

Khoshbin, deported from Iran, said: “I lived in Iran for about one year and three months. We were deported once, sent back at the border. Because of our family’s weak financial condition, we couldn’t afford to manage, so we had to return and try again.”

At the same time, the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation has announced that since April 1, over 144,000 Afghan migrants have returned from various countries.

Out of that number, more than 110,000 returned from Pakistan, and the rest from Iran and Turkey.

Abdulmutalib Haqqani, spokesperson for the ministry, said: “From the beginning of April this year until now, 144,783 migrants have returned to Afghanistan from neighboring countries — 110,529 from Pakistan, 34,108 from Iran, and 1,322 from Turkey. In addition, 3,085 prisoners were released from various prisons in Pakistan and returned through the Torkham and Spin Boldak crossings.”

However, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported in its latest update that more than 190,000 people have returned to Afghanistan from Iran and Pakistan over the past 26 days.

Deported Afghans Report Inhumane Treatment by Pakistani Police
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Afghanistan ranks 175th in Global Press Freedom Index

May 2, 2025
Khaama Press

Afghanistan ranks 175th in the 2025 Global Press Freedom Index, reflecting severe restrictions on media and declining journalistic freedom.

Afghanistan ranks 175th out of 180 countries in the 2025 World Press Freedom Index released by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), reflecting a persistently dire situation for media under Taliban rule. While the country climbed three spots from last year, its overall score of just 17.88 out of 100 underscores an ongoing crisis in media freedom.

On Friday, May 2, Reporters Without Borders released its annual report on global press freedom, stating that Afghanistan has ranked 175th out of 180 countries, highlighting the country’s ongoing media crisis under Taliban rule.

RSF reports that since the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, Afghanistan’s media environment has suffered severe setbacks. Independent journalism has been heavily restricted, media pluralism has largely disappeared, and journalists — particularly women — face targeted repression. According to RSF, Taliban authorities enforce rigid control over content, effectively allowing only state-approved narratives.

Afghanistan scores poorly across all five key indicators: political context, legal framework, economic environment, sociocultural factors, and safety of journalists. In the legal indicator, Afghanistan ranks 178th; in security, 175th; and in the economic domain, 165th. This multi-dimensional decline paints a picture of a deeply hostile environment for the press.

The report highlights that many female journalists have left the profession due to threats and coercion, particularly from the Taliban’s Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice. Several media outlets have shut down, while others operate under fear and censorship, severely compromising journalistic independence and ethical reporting standards.

Globally, press freedom is also on the decline. For the first time since RSF began the Index, the global average score has dropped to a level categorized as “difficult situation” — worse than the previous “problematic” status. RSF attributes this decline to political pressure, economic hardship, media ownership concentration, and dwindling public trust in journalism.

While Norway retains its position as the freest country for media, RSF warns that nearly one-third of the global population now lives in countries where press freedom is described as “very serious”. Afghanistan is emblematic of this regression, standing out as one of the world’s harshest environments for journalists.

RSF has urged the international community to act decisively against the growing threats faced by Afghan journalists. The organization calls for concrete support for independent media and renewed advocacy for freedom of expression in Afghanistan. Failure to respond risks the total erasure of press freedom in a country already burdened by conflict and authoritarian control.

As press freedom continues to erode in Afghanistan, international advocacy, humanitarian support, and policy intervention remain critical. Sustained pressure on the Taliban and aid for embattled journalists — particularly women and minority voices — is essential to prevent further deterioration and preserve the remaining pillars of a free press.

Afghanistan ranks 175th in Global Press Freedom Index
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Islamic Emirate Says UNAMA Report ‘Detached From Reality’

May 2, 2025

Bibi Amina Hakimi

TOLOnews’ Reporter

2 May 2025

UNAMA stated that women in Afghanistan continue to be denied fundamental rights such as work, education, and independent access to services.

The Islamic Emirate rejected the latest report by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) concerning the state of human rights in the country.

The Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice labeled the report baseless, stating that the country’s laws are implemented based on Islamic principles.

Saif al-Salam Khyber, the ministry’s spokesperson, said: “This report is not only detached from reality, but it is also a blatant violation of Islamic values and a disrespect to our Sharia. We strongly condemn this move by a foreign entity that dares to challenge Islamic law and interpret Sharia-based rulings—such as the hijab—as a form of women’s deprivation.”

UNAMA stated that women in Afghanistan continue to be denied fundamental rights such as work, education, and independent access to services.

In its quarterly report, UNAMA also expressed concern over civilian casualties in border attacks and the increase in corporal punishment cases over the past three months.

Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, said: “The mission continued to receive reports that women Afghanistan are still denied of joining the workforce, accessing services without a male relative and girls are still deprived of their right to education.”

Women’s rights activist Tafsir Siyahpush stated: “Our demand from the Islamic Emirate is that they must listen to our voices because we witness increasing restrictions every day. We also urge the international community to respond to the voices of Afghan women.”

According to UNAMA’s report, from January 1 to March 31, thirteen people—including women, men, and children—were killed in border attacks in Paktika and Nangarhar provinces.

Political analyst Abdul Sadiq Hamidzoy said: “UNAMA is a mission mandated by the Security Council to help establish global order. Therefore, it was UNAMA’s responsibility to formally refer Pakistan’s blatant injustice to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), but they only mentioned it in passing.”

Previously, Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate, had also stated that the United Nations mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) is attempting to exaggerate negative issues and does not reflect the positive developments.

Islamic Emirate Says UNAMA Report ‘Detached From Reality’
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