German aid group HELP warns Afghanistan’s severe drought has cut wheat harvests by 60% in the west, pushing millions closer to hunger amid worsening climate-driven crises.
The German aid organization HELP has warned that Afghanistan is facing one of its most severe food crises in recent years, with drought devastating wheat production.
According to a statement issued Thursday, the ongoing drought has caused wheat harvests in western Afghanistan to plummet by nearly 60 percent compared to last year. The group said this dramatic decline poses a direct threat to the food security of millions of Afghan families.
HELP noted that over the past 12 months, Afghanistan has been battered by climate shocks, including severe droughts and sudden flash floods. These disasters have left more than nine million people vulnerable and pushed 19 provinces toward the brink of a humanitarian crisis.
International agencies have repeatedly described Afghanistan as one of the countries most at risk from climate change, given its reliance on traditional farming and lack of modern water management systems. Successive droughts have eroded agricultural output, leaving communities increasingly dependent on aid.
The worsening climate conditions are compounding Afghanistan’s broader humanitarian crisis, already marked by widespread poverty, conflict aftershocks, and economic isolation since the Taliban takeover.
Aid agencies, including the World Food Programme and the UN humanitarian office, have warned that without urgent international support, millions could face acute hunger in the coming months.
HELP’s statement stressed the urgency of increased humanitarian assistance and climate adaptation measures, warning that the country’s fragile food systems cannot withstand repeated climate shocks without sustained international intervention.
Severe Drought Slashes Afghanistan Wheat Harvest by 60%, Aid Group Warns of Worsening Food Crisis
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization will convene in Dushanbe on September 11–12, focusing on Afghanistan’s security, terrorism threats, and the need for an inclusive political settlement amid regional concerns.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) will hold a consultative meeting of its member states on September 11–12 in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, with Afghanistan set to dominate the agenda. SCO Secretary-General Nurlan Yermekbayev said the discussions would focus on the security and political situation in Afghanistan and its wider regional implications.
Yermekbayev stressed that while Afghanistan’s economy shows modest signs of improvement, the country continues to face major humanitarian and social challenges. “Issues such as women’s rights, social instability, and the persistent threat of terrorism remain unresolved,” he told Russia’s state news agency RIA Novosti.
Security concerns will be central to the talks. Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu recently warned that more than 23,000 foreign militants are currently active in Afghanistan, underscoring fears of spillover instability across Central Asia.
The SCO chief emphasized that all member states share a common view of Afghanistan’s challenges and maintain channels of communication with the Taliban on security and border management. However, he noted that cooperation remains bilateral rather than coordinated through the SCO as an institution.
Founded in 2001, the SCO brings together Russia, China, India, Pakistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Belarus as full members. Afghanistan and Mongolia hold observer status, while Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates are among its dialogue partners.
The Dushanbe meeting comes just days after the SCO’s annual summit in Tianjin, China, from August 31 to September 1. Significantly, the Taliban has not been invited to that gathering, reflecting the lack of international recognition of their government despite ongoing engagement at bilateral levels.
SCO to Hold Consultative Meeting in Dushanbe with Afghanistan’s Security and Stability on Agenda
While girls above grade six have been banned from attending school for nearly four years, the latest UN Women survey highlights Afghan society’s strong support for education.
The survey, conducted among around 2,000 people across Afghanistan, shows that 92% believe girls’ education is vital and essential.
Details of the findings indicate that even in rural areas, where restrictions are usually stricter, 87% of men and 95% of women supported the right of girls to education. In urban areas, the figure was 95% for both men and women.
Susan Ferguson, UN Women’s representative, said: “Today, UN Women, we are releasing new data, which shows that despite this ban, the vast majority of Afghanistan’s women and men alike support girls’ education. In a nationwide door-to-door survey of more than 2,000 Afghans, nine out of ten said it was important for them, for the girls to continue their schooling beyond primary education. Support was overwhelming across the board, from men and women in both urban and rural communities throughout Afghanistan.”
Meanwhile, a number of students once again called for the reopening of schools for girls above grade six.
Nargis, a student, said: “Since childhood, I dreamed of finishing school and studying medicine at university, but after the Islamic Emirate came, I could not continue my studies.”
Another student, Maqboola Mohammadi, said: “Our request from the Islamic Emirate is to reopen schools, because all girls should not be deprived of education just because one girl does not observe hijab.”
Earlier, Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesman of the Islamic Emirate, told TOLOnews regarding girls’ education that work is still ongoing to provide a precise Sharia-based framework for the issue.
UN Survey: 92% of Afghans Support Girls’ Education
The Defense Minister also said that the Islamic Emirate has 150,000 forces, most of whom are equipped with modern American weapons.
Mawlawi Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid, the Defense Minister of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, says that the roots of all terrorist groups, including ISIS, have been eliminated in Afghanistan and that no country is threatened from Afghan soil.
He added that some countries raise such claims for their own interests, but instead of presenting these accusations at the UN Security Council or other meetings, they should share the information with the Islamic Emirate so that action can be taken.
Mujahid also stated that after the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, the Islamic Emirate cut ties with al-Qaeda and currently has no relationship with the group.
In an interview with the BBC, he said: “According to the Doha Agreement signed with the U.S., we pledged that all groups, including al-Qaeda, which are considered threats to America, cannot use Afghan soil against them. We remain committed to this agreement.”
The official further said that if some countries did not promote or campaign for various groups in Afghanistan, the Islamic Emirate would be able to prevent their activities.
He acknowledged that Afghanistan’s relations with Pakistan are not normal at present and described the situation as harmful to both countries.
Responding to a question about the presence of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other armed groups in Afghanistan, Mujahid said: “TTP carries out attacks hundreds of kilometers across the Durand Line. If these attacks are planned in Afghanistan and then executed hundreds of kilometers inside Pakistani territory, why are they not stopped there?”
He added that Pakistan makes such accusations to conceal its own security failures, and instead of blaming others, it should cooperate to eliminate terrorism.
The Defense Minister also said that the Islamic Emirate has 150,000 forces, most of whom are equipped with modern American weapons.
Defense Minister Says Taliban Cut Ties with al-Qaeda After U.S. Invasion
107 rights organizations signed an open letter published Thursday that implored the UN Human Rights Council to establish an international mechanism to hold Afghanistan accountable for past and ongoing human rights violations.
Organizations argued that the UN Human Rights Council has failed to institute measures to address international crimes committed within the country, particularly under Taliban rule. Experts called for a dedicated investigative mechanism, similar to the ones implemented for Syria and Myanmar, that would complement the mandate of the UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan.
The letter also stated the measure should ensure extensive engagement with Afghanistan’s civil society and underscored the EU’s crucial role as “penholder” of Afghanistan at the Human Rights Council.
The UN Human Rights Council can establish an independent international accountability mechanism through resolution passage. UN General Assembly resolution A/71/248 established measures that bolstered investigation and prosecution efforts to hold human rights violators responsible for serious crimes under international law in Syria. The council established legal mechanisms for Myanmar in 2018, with a mandate to investigate serious international crimes committed in Myanmar since 2011.
UN experts called the Taliban government’s weaponization of law against women a crime against humanity earlier this month, following warnings of a deepening human rights crisis in Afghanistan resulting from the Taliban’s dismantling of legal and institutional frameworks and abolishing crucial protections for women and girls.
Rights groups urge UN to create legal pathways for justice in Afghanistan
Turbaned Afghan officials and hard-hatted Chinese engineers gathered in Afghanistan’s Sar-e-Pul province in 2023 to mark the opening of Chinese-invested oil fields.
The fields are located in the Amu Darya River basin, a major Central Asian watershed that includes glacier-capped mountains and vast, arid deserts.
At a signing ceremony in Kabul, China’s envoy, Wang Yu, hailed the deal as “an important project” between the two countries. It was the first — and at the time, only — foreign investment in Afghanistan since the Taliban took back power in August 2021.
Under the 25-year contract, China pledged to invest $540 million in the first three years.
“The contract specifies that the oil will be processed in Afghanistan,” noted Afghanistan’s then-Acting Minister of Mines and Petroleum Shahabuddin Delawar. “We will not allow crude oil to be processed or transported abroad.”
But two years later, the deal collapsed amid mutual recriminations —in a saga that sheds light on the often-opaque relationship between Beijing and the Taliban.
Afghan officials complain of breach of contract
Afghan officials accused the Xinjiang Central Asia Petroleum and Gas Co., the Chinese company that had signed the 2023 deal, of breaching the contract, while some Chinese employees with AfgChin Oil and Gas Ltd., the joint venture that ran the oil wells, likened the Taliban’s actions to “robbery.”
In June, the Taliban announced the termination of the contract, claiming that the Chinese firm had repeatedly violated it. Hamaun Afghan, spokesperson for Afghanistan’s Ministry of Mines and Petroleum, said the decision was approved by the Taliban’s Prime Minister Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund.
The ministry said the Chinese side didn’t deliver its promised investments on time, didn’t pay royalties or finish promised geological surveys and infrastructure projects. It added that the Chinese company had not responded to their complaints.
But Chinese employees say the Taliban forcibly took over the joint venture and “unreasonably drove our Chinese personnel out of the oil field at gunpoint,” according to one of the employees.
Three Chinese sources — including two Chinese employees and the spouse of a third — and one Afghan source, all with direct knowledge of the matter, say that the Taliban then confiscated the passports of a dozen Chinese employees, effectively barring them from leaving the country.
NPR has obtained a list from AfgChin that contains the names and passport numbers of the 12 detained Chinese employees.
Afghanistan’s Ministry of Mines and Petroleum did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
Liu Pengyu, the spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C., said he was “not familiar with the specific situation” but said that China attaches high importance to protection of its citizens overseas. China’s Foreign Ministry has not responded to NPR’s request for comment.
The Chinese sources say their colleagues were confined to the offices of AfgChin in Kabul, guarded by General Directorate of Intelligence (GDI) agents, and not allowed to leave without permission. The Afghan source tells NPR that the Taliban consider it a ban on exiting the country and not a form of house arrest.
Following a visit by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to Afghanistan last week, the Taliban returned passports to nine of the Chinese nationals. Eight of them have since returned to China, according to the same Chinese sources.
At least three employees, these sources say, are being kept by the authorities in Kabul to process the handover of the joint venture to the Taliban.
But the Afghan source says they will not be allowed to leave until the dispute is over. However, he notes that because Afghanistan lacks a formal mechanism for resolving such disputes, it is unclear how long they will have to remain in the country.
The wife of one of the detained Chinese employees, who was among the eight to leave Afghanistan last week, told NPR before his release that her husband had suffered from stress and was running out of medication for diabetes and high blood pressure.
The two Chinese employees NPR spoke to say the Afghan side of the joint venture is now running the oil wells, but with reduced output and without adequate technical expertise or safety procedures.
Chinese accuse the Taliban of “bandit”-like behavior
One of the Chinese sources says that the Afghan Ministry of Mines delivered a private verbal message to the company’s management, offering a deal.
“‘You give us a written pledge, saying that you’re voluntarily terminating the contract. We’re not forcing you to do it,” the source says, describing the message. “‘Secondly, you voluntarily leave all your equipment and assets in Afghanistan to us.'”
The third demand was that the Chinese side hand over to the Taliban their Kabul bank account, which held millions of dollars. “If you do these three things, I reckon you’ll get your passports back quickly,” the source recalls the message as saying.
“That’s when we realized our 12 people were essentially being held hostage,” the source says.
The Chinese sources say the oil fields were producing up to around 12,000 barrels of oil a day, creating thousands of jobs and millions of dollars in tax revenue for the Afghan government.
“We had hoped that we could help them [Afghanistan] develop, improve citizens’ lives, and help their interim government to function and be stable,” said one of the Chinese sources. “Their stability is good for China, and its Xinjiang region,” which borders eastern Afghanistan and has long been a major security concern for Chinese authorities.
But not everyone on the Afghanistan side was satisfied with Chinese efforts, the number of jobs created or the oil sales revenue, the source argued.
“Their business mindset does not include win-win outcomes,” he says. “They think whatever they say goes. Like a bandit committing a robbery, they think: ‘If I like it, then it’s mine.'”
He says the Chinese wrongly believed that the Taliban would honor the pledges they made when they came to power to respect international law, human rights and investors’ interests.
The overall China-Taliban relationship has not been derailed
After the U.S. withdrew from Afghanistan four years ago, China quickly moved to fill the vacuum left by the Americans. Both Afghanistan’s mineral resources, estimated to be worth more than $1 trillion, and its strategic location — bordering China’s Xinjiang region — are among top priorities for Beijing.
But the oil field fiasco underscores the challenges China faces in achieving its goals. And for the Taliban, the lack of rule of law and international sanctions continue to pose major obstacles to attracting foreign investment and developing domestic industries.
Still, both Beijing and Kabul appear to be trying to keep their larger relationship on track.
“I think that both sides, not just the Afghans, may want to be a bit more sober about this,” says Omar Samad, a former Afghan diplomat, “and realize that this one particular deal may jeopardize overall relations, if it’s not handled properly.”
Wang also suggested that Afghanistan should crack down on the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, a separatist group seeking to build an independent state including parts of Xinjiang, which has historically received Taliban support.
This is not the first Chinese investment in Afghanistan to hit snags. Another big project, the Mes Aynak copper mine in Logar province, has been delayed for nearly two decades by everything from security concerns and contractual disputes to saving archaeological treasures from an ancient Buddhist city situated atop the copper deposits.
After canceling the Chinese contract, Afghanistan’s government invited other international oil companies to invest in the Amu Darya Basin oil fields. But the Chinese employees warn that unless the Taliban treat foreign investors with more respect, they are likely to stay away.
Contract breach or banditry? Inside the collapse of the Taliban’s oil deal with China
ISLAMABAD (AP) — Airstrikes that Afghanistan’s Taliban blamed on neighboring Pakistan struck two eastern provinces of the country, killing at least three people, wounding seven others and damaging homes, officials and witnesses said Thursday.
The Taliban foreign ministry decried the strikes that took place late Wednesday in Nangarhar and Khost provinces, calling them a “provocative act” by Pakistan and summoning the Pakistani ambassador in Kabul.
Neither the Pakistani government nor the military commented on the alleged strikes.
Kabul previously has accused Pakistan of launching airstrikes in Afghanistan against suspected hideouts of the Pakistani Taliban, a militant group banned in Pakistan and blamed for some of that country’s deadliest terrorist attacks.
In Nangarhar’s Shinwari district, members of a family whose house was reduced to rubble sifted through the debris to try to recover what they could.
“They dropped the first big bomb on my house. My house was completely destroyed,” said Shah Sawar, a resident of Nangarhar’s Shinwari district. “First I pulled a child out of the rubble, then I pulled four children and a woman out.”
Nangarhar’s deputy governor, Maulvi Azizullah Mustafa, said that the strikes were fired by Pakistani drones. The Taliban foreign ministry said three people were killed and seven wounded in Nangarhar and Khost.
Kabul in December 2024 accused Pakistan of carrying out airstrikes against suspected hideouts of the Pakistani Taliban in Paktika province. Pakistan also did not acknowledge those strikes at the time. Kabul claimed hitting several points inside Pakistan in retaliation.
However, relations between Islamabad and Kabul have remained tense since 2021, when the Afghan Taliban seized power, mainly over Kabul’s alleged support of the Pakistani Taliban, who have stepped up attacks on security forces and civilians in Pakistan in recent years.
Pakistan accuses the Taliban of harboring the Pakistani Taliban, which is separate but closely allied to the Afghan Taliban. Kabul denies, saying it does not allow anyone to use its soil against another country.
Taliban blames Pakistan for airstrikes that kill 3 people in eastern Afghanistan
The European Union has warned of severe water shortages in Afghanistan, particularly Kabul, pledging support for local partners to address the crisis threatening agriculture, health, and livelihoods.
The European Union office in Afghanistan has raised concerns over the country’s shrinking water resources, particularly in Kabul, warning that the crisis is affecting all aspects of people’s lives and requires urgent action.
In a statement on its official page, the EU said it remains committed to assisting and cooperating with local partners in addressing the water crisis. The announcement coincided with the conclusion of World Water Week and stressed the importance of joint efforts to tackle the challenge.
The EU has been running wide-ranging projects in Afghanistan, focusing on agriculture, climate change mitigation, healthcare, food security, and water management. These initiatives also extend support to returnees and internally displaced people, ensuring their access to essential services.
Water scarcity has emerged as one of Afghanistan’s most pressing environmental and humanitarian challenges in recent years. Experts warn that the shortage not only threatens agriculture and food security but also poses health risks and may intensify internal migration.
The EU emphasized that cooperation with Afghanistan’s institutions and communities will be central to reducing the impact of this crisis. By strengthening local resilience, the organization aims to mitigate both immediate and long-term consequences.
As Afghanistan continues to struggle with multiple humanitarian crises, the EU’s involvement highlights the international community’s recognition of water as a critical lifeline for stability and survival. Sustainable water management, experts say, will be key to safeguarding livelihoods and reducing vulnerabilities in the years ahead.
Trump’s decision to cut funding for Afghan resettlement programs leaves thousands vulnerable, raising concerns over U.S. credibility, future alliances, and the safety of women in Afghanitsan.
U.S. President Donald Trump has reduced funding for programs that support the relocation and resettlement of Afghan allies in the United States, leaving thousands of lives in uncertainty. The move affects Afghans who risked their safety by working alongside American forces during the war with the Taliban.
According to U.S. media reports, the budgets for “Operation Enduring Freedom” and Temporary Protected Status will expire in September. These programs were originally created to provide protection for Afghans who had assisted U.S. missions and were vulnerable to Taliban retaliation.
The decision has sparked criticism in Washington. Congressman Scott Peters warned that cutting the funds sends the “wrong message” to future partners and undermines America’s reputation as a reliable ally. He stressed that those who showed the courage to stand against the Taliban are the very people the U.S. should protect.
Civil society groups have voiced similar concerns. Shawn VanDiver, head of the San Diego–based AfghanEvac initiative, cautioned that thousands of Afghans will face severe risks if funding ends, leaving them exposed to Taliban revenge.
Statistics from Congress highlight the urgency of the issue. Nearly 60,000 Afghans inside Afghanistan are still awaiting asylum case reviews, while more than 170,000 remain in the queue for Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs).
Immigration lawyers have also raised alarms over the situation of women and girls. They warn that a return to Taliban rule could strip them of education, employment, and basic freedoms, describing the prospect as “deeply frightening.”
The cuts, critics argue, not only endanger Afghan allies but also threaten to erode U.S. moral authority and credibility worldwide. Without renewed commitments, thousands who once stood with American forces may be left to face an uncertain and dangerous future.
Trump Cuts U.S. Funding for Afghan Allies’ Resettlement Programs
WHO warns Afghanistan faces a severe health crisis as 22 million need aid, funding gaps shut clinics, and mass refugee returns threaten to overwhelm fragile systems.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that Afghanistan faces a worsening humanitarian crisis, with more than 22 million of the country’s 46 million people in urgent need of assistance. The country’s health system, already fragile, is now on the verge of collapse.
In its latest report released Thursday, WHO said over 16 million Afghans have been targeted for life-saving aid this year, yet only 24 percent of required funding has been secured. The shortfall has left millions without access to critical support.
The funding crisis has forced the closure of more than 420 health facilities, cutting off nearly three million people from essential medical services. Vulnerable groups, including women and children, have been hit hardest by these restrictions.
WHO highlighted that maternal and child health problems, widespread malnutrition, and outbreaks of diseases such as measles and polio pose serious threats. In addition, rising mental health challenges are affecting large segments of the Afghan population, compounding the humanitarian emergency.
Adding further pressure, Afghanistan is also bracing for large-scale returns of migrants. According to the report, over one million people are expected to return from Pakistan and up to two million from Iran in 2025. So far, more than 836,000 Afghans have already returned, 92 percent of them from Iran.
The looming crisis underscores how inadequate international funding is worsening Afghanistan’s humanitarian emergency. Without urgent support, millions could face preventable deaths from disease, hunger, and lack of medical care.
WHO has urged the global community to step up aid contributions, warning that failure to act will deepen suffering and destabilize an already vulnerable country.
22 Million in Afghanistan Need Urgent Aid as Health Crisis Deepens, WHO Warns
The United Nations says aid workers are still in a “race against time” to remove rubble and rebuild after the devastating earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan last month, killing at least 2,200 people and cutting off remote areas.
The 6.0-magnitude quake on Aug. 31 was shallow, destroying or causing extensive damage to low-rise buildings in the mountainous region. It hit late at night, and homes — mostly made of mud, wood, or rocks — collapsed instantly, becoming death traps.
Satellite data shows that about 40,500 truckloads of debris still needs to be cleared from affected areas in several provinces, the United Nations Development Program said Wednesday. Entire communities have been upended and families are sleeping in the open, it added.
The quake’s epicenter was in remote and rugged Kunar province, challenging rescue and relief efforts by the Taliban government and humanitarian groups. Authorities deployed helicopters or airdropped army commandos to evacuate survivors. Aid workers walked for hours on foot to reach isolated communities.
“This is a race against time,” said Devanand Ramiah, from the UNDP’s Crisis Bureau. “Debris removal and reconstruction operations must start safely and swiftly.”
People’s main demands were the reconstruction of houses and water supplies, according to a spokesman for a Taliban government committee tasked with helping survivors, Zia ur Rahman Speenghar.
People were getting assistance in cash, food, tents, beds, and other necessities, Speenghar said Thursday. Three new roads were under construction in the Dewagal Valley, and roads would be built to areas where there previously were none.
“Various countries and organizations have offered assistance in the construction of houses but that takes time. After the second round of assistance, work will begin on the third round, which is considering what kind of houses can be built here,” the spokesman said.
Afghanistan is facing a “perfect storm” of crises, including natural disasters like the recent earthquake, said Roza Otunbayeva, who leads the U.N. mission to the country.
Afghanistan Peace Campaign
