A U.S. Supreme Court has ordered the Trump administration to resume processing Afghan refugee cases starting May 12, 2025.
The U.S. Supreme Court judge has directed the Trump administration to resume processing Afghan refugee immigration cases as of May 12. This ruling includes programs like the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP), resettlement initiatives, and travel approvals for refugees.
Shawn VanDiver, head of the Afghan Evac, celebrated the ruling as a significant victory for America’s Afghan allies. He stressed that if the Trump administration complies, this will mark a meaningful step forward.
The Supreme Court’s order specifically demands the cancellation of the suspension on accepting refugees under the U.S. immigration program. This decision is set to go into effect from May 12. The court emphasized that the administration should begin processing cases immediately.
Furthermore, the ruling mandates the resumption of refugee processing at all levels, including U.S. embassies, reinstating funding, access to structures, and restoring contracts related to refugee assistance programs.
Additionally, the Trump administration has been ordered to begin the relocation and transfer of refugees under protection, starting with expired medical and security clearance certificates. This is a critical aspect of the broader resumption process.
Starting on May 19, the U.S. government must inform all refugees under its protection that their cases are being reinstated and actively moving forward. This order underscores the urgency of re-engaging with the refugee resettlement process.
The ruling further mandates that the U.S. government facilitates travel and medical examinations for refugees through the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The process should be re-established as soon as possible to ensure the smooth flow of operations.
Finally, the administration is required to support independent travel and medical procedures for refugees, ensuring that individuals are free to continue their journey to the U.S. without hindrance.
The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision comes after President Donald Trump, in January of this year, issued executive orders suspending all refugee admissions, transfers, and resettlement processes. However, it remains unclear whether the Trump administration will comply with the court’s order. The White House has not yet commented on the matter.
This ruling marks a pivotal moment in the ongoing debate surrounding U.S. immigration and refugee policies. While the court’s decision is a significant win for Afghan refugees, its implementation remains uncertain, especially given the administration’s previous stance on immigration.
The outcome will likely have a lasting impact on U.S. refugee policy, particularly concerning Afghan allies, and may influence future legal challenges and political negotiations regarding refugee resettlement.
US Supreme Court orders resumption of Afghan Refugee Cases starting May 12
UN Women calls for urgent support for Afghan women, emphasizing the need for safe spaces, legal aid, and professional training.
The United Nations Women’s Division has reiterated its commitment to addressing the systemic barriers faced by women and girls in Afghanistan. The organization emphasized that these women occupy a central role in its programs, calling for targeted support to overcome obstacles. This includes providing safe spaces, legal aid, and professional education, as part of a broader strategy to promote gender equality.
In a statement released on May 6, the UN Women’s Division highlighted the importance of gender-specific assistance for Afghan women. The memo also underscored the need to support women-led businesses, recognizing their contributions as a vital factor for economic improvement and sustainability in Afghanistan.
The organization expressed its deep concern over the escalating restrictions imposed on Afghan women and girls. Currently, these women are deprived of basic rights such as education, employment, and participation in public life, a situation exacerbated by the policies of the Taliban.
According to recent reports, over 70% of Afghan women face significant challenges in accessing humanitarian aid. The Taliban’s strict regulations have further constrained women’s participation in public and professional spheres, resulting in widespread hardships for Afghan women.
Despite these challenges, the UN remains steadfast in its commitment to supporting Afghan women’s rights and fostering gender equity in the region. The organization continues to advocate for policy changes that would allow these women to regain their rights and play an active role in Afghanistan’s social, economic, and political spheres.
The United Nations stresses that the international community must intensify efforts to address these injustices. Supporting Afghan women is not only a matter of human rights but is also crucial for the long-term peace and stability of the country. The situation remains dire, but global collaboration can help restore the rights and dignity of Afghan women and girls.
UN urges immediate support for Afghanistan’s women amid rising challegnes
Lack of shelter and job opportunities are their fundamental challenges. These families are preparing to return to their respective provinces.
With the rise in deportation of Afghan migrants from neighboring countries, a camp in the 11th district of Kabul city has become a gathering point for hundreds of families.
These families residing in the camp have returned to their homeland empty-handed after living for years in Pakistan and Iran. They now face an uncertain future.
Lack of shelter and job opportunities are their fundamental challenges. These families are preparing to return to their respective provinces.
Hijratullah, a returnee from Pakistan, told TOLOnews: “We are going to Kunduz, but our future there is uncertain. The education of our children is another concern we have.”
Mohammad Jan, another returnee from Pakistan, said: “We need financial aid to build a shelter. We are facing many problems.”
These migrants, who have spent 40 to 50 years in Pakistan, cite lack of housing, limited job opportunities, and poverty as their main challenges.
Nisar Ahmad, who returned to the country after 45 years, said: “We are going to Khanabad district of Kunduz. We have neither land nor shelter there.”
Farzana, a deportee from Pakistan, said: “We don’t own land and my husband is still abroad. Now we are forced to live in a rental house. We want land and a place to live.”
It is noteworthy that currently, between 800 to 1,000 migrants arrive daily at this camp from neighboring countries, including Iran and Pakistan. The authorities at Baba Jan Camp said efforts are being made to facilitate returnees.
Abulais, the security officer of Lawai Baba Jan camp, said: “We have made arrangements in this camp. We provide tents and blankets, food is also prepared for them, and there is a health section with both male and female doctors.”
Meanwhile, the UNHCR reported that in the month of April, more than 280,000 Afghans have been deported from Pakistan and Iran.
Uncertain Futures: Afghan Deportees Struggle to Rebuild Lives in Kabul Camp
The Chamber of Commerce and Investment stated that this situation has added more pressure to Afghanistan’s economy.
Fresh tensions between India and Pakistan have posed challenges to Afghanistan’s trade, resulting in the halt of export shipments at regional ports.
The Chamber of Commerce and Investment stated that this situation has added more pressure to Afghanistan’s economy.
Khan Jan Alokozay, a board member of the Chamber of Commerce and Investment, said: “The situation is damaging. In addition to the fact that Afghan goods have become more expensive in India due to limited supply and high demand—since Indian people like Afghanistan’s fresh and dried fruits—this is a serious issue. We call on the governments of Pakistan and India to separate transit and trade issues from political and security matters.”
The Ministry of Economy also expressed concerns regarding the direct impact of India-Pakistan tensions on Afghanistan’s economy.
Abdul Latif Nazari, deputy minister of economy, said: “Tensions in India-Pakistan relations negatively impact Afghanistan’s economic situation. Afghanistan’s essential goods were imported through the Wagah border, and with increased tensions, this process can undoubtedly cause serious harm to Afghanistan’s imports and exports.”
Meanwhile, some experts suggest that Afghanistan can increasingly utilize Iran’s Chabahar Port to continue trade with India.
Mir Shaker Yaqubi, an economic expert, said: “Given the regional situation—especially the tensions between India and Pakistan—the conditions are now favorable for using Chabahar Port as an alternative to Wagah. We can significantly increase trade through this port, which is a golden opportunity for Afghanistan.”
At the same time, following the escalation of tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad, officials from Afghanistan’s interim government and representatives of the private sector have called for regional dialogue to reduce the crisis and prevent further damage to the region’s economic interests.
Sayedyaqoob Qattali moved to Houston with his family after legally entering the United States in late 2023.
Sayedyaqoob Qattali
HOUSTON — Sayedyaqoob Qattali spent years aiding U.S. forces as a security commander for the Afghan Interior Ministry in Herat province. He was caught there when Afghanistan’s government fell to the Taliban in August 2021 and was unable to get U.S. help to evacuate.
“I went to Iran, and I applied for Brazil, [to get a] humanitarian visa. That was just the option that was left. Then, after one year, I got the visa, humanitarian visa,” Qattali said.
What happened next was an odyssey. From Brazil, he and his family went to Peru, then to Ecuador, Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, and finally Mexico. Most of the time, they walked.
“In all these countries, we got … the legal paper that [said] we can stay there,” Qattali said.
When they arrived in Mexico in November of 2023, Qattali and his family used the CBP One app to apply for U.S. humanitarian parole.
“Some of [the] people … they were waiting one, two, three months,” Qattali said. “And, fortunately, we received an appointment after two days.”
Qattali and his family entered the U.S. at the San Ysidro Port of Entry between Tijuana and San Diego. They came to Houston, getting relocation help from the Houston-based veterans organization Combined Arms.
Qattali speaks seven languages. He got a job as an apartment leasing agent, where his language skills enabled him to help fellow Afghans settle into the community. And he enrolled his two children in a charter school.
Initially, that wasn’t a problem for Qattali, as he and his family were already settled in the U.S. and had begun applying for asylum.
That changed last month.
“Unfortunately,” he said, “we got an email … that you have to leave. We have like seven days. After that, they’re going to charge … $900 per day.”
“I have … a threatening letter,” Qattali said. “If I go back, like, 100% they’re going to kill me and my family as well.”
Khalil Yarzada, a former interpreter for U.S. and NATO forces, now heads a program with the Houston-based veterans group Combined Arms, which helps Afghans who aided U.S. forces to settle in the United States.
Andrew Schneider
“We don’t feel safe”
Even Afghans who have legal permanent residency in the U.S. worry what Trump’s policies mean for them.
Muhammad Amiri is a former pilot trainee with the Afghan air force who found himself stranded in the United Arab Emirates when the Taliban took Kabul.
Amiri managed to get to the United States on what’s known as a Special Immigrant Visa (SIV), a status for which individuals who fought and worked alongside U.S. forces in Afghanistan are eligible and which can lead to permanent legal status.
Four months ago, Amiri received his green card.
“The words cannot express just my feeling,” Amiri said. “It was out of my control. I started crying, and the tears were coming, just without any control. And just, I thanked God.”
Amiri has had several jobs since coming to the U.S. He’s currently a security supervisor at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and he’s taking IT courses with the goal of getting a job working as a computer help desk associate. He also recently got engaged.
But Amiri’s fiancée is still in Afghanistan, and until his legal situation is settled, he doesn’t dare leave the U.S. to see her, for fear he might not be allowed to return.
Indeed, he worries even his green card won’t protect him in the current political climate in the U.S.
“It doesn’t matter just how you got here,” Amiri said. “We don’t feel safe, and we don’t feel good because now, we feel threatened, if they send us back to our country, it will be the same story. [We] feel threatened to be tortured, maybe be killed by [the] Taliban.”
“As unfortunate as it sounds,” Zakaria said, “my first advice to all my clients — and my family and friends — is that, if you’re not a U.S. citizen, do not talk or post on your social media anything that’s negative about the current administration. Do not voice your opinion. Do not engage in any protest, because you will be targeted by this administration for revocation of your status.”
The end of Enduring Welcome and temporary protected status
Roughly 200,000 Afghan immigrants and refugees came to the U.S. after the fall of Kabul to the Taliban in August 2021. That includes about 10,000 in Greater Houston.
Sayedyaqoob Qattali served as a security commander with the Afghan Interior Ministry in Herat province, Afghanistan, before the Afghan government fell to the Taliban in August 2021.
Sayedyaqoob Qattali
While some of them have since received green cards or even U.S. citizenship, many have more tenuous legal status, such as humanitarian parole or temporary protected status (TPS).
TPS is a program that allows individuals from countries where their lives might be in danger — due to wars or natural disasters — to legally live and work in the United States until it is safe for them to return home.
The current TPS for Afghans began in September 2023 and extends through May 20 of this year.
Afghans who are here on TPS got a shock in April when Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced that she would not be renewing the protection when it expires.
After that, any Afghans in the U.S. under the program will be at risk of deportation to Afghanistan.
“Everyone I speak to is concerned that if this protection is revoked, a lot of people’s lives are going to be in danger,” said Khalil Yarzada, a former Afghan translator for U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan who became a U.S. citizen in February. “A lot of people are going to see a target on their back.”
U.S. Congressman Michael McCaul, a Texas Republican, is the former chair of both the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the House Homeland Security Committee.
In March, he and two otherRepublican representatives sent a joint letter to President Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Homeland Security Secretary Noem urging them not to end the Enduring Welcome program.
“Such a decision would abandon over 200,000 wartime allies and have lasting consequences for America’s global credibility, military operations, and veterans,” McCaul and his House colleagues wrote. “The Taliban considers anyone who worked with the U.S. to be an enemy. They are being hunted, detained, and executed. Over 3,200 documented killings and disappearances of former Afghan military personnel, interpreters, and U.S. government partners has already occurred.”
The reasons for the policy change
Zakaria, the Houston immigration attorney, thinks the president’s motivation for ending programs like TPS for Afghans is because of his campaign pledge to enact mass deportations when he took office.
“What the Trump administration’s policy [is] at this moment is to create this mass group that can be deported,” Zakaria said, “and one way is to cancel the existing legal protocols or legal protections that are in place, and thus making those people unlawfully here, and then deport them.”
Ali Zakaria is an immigration attorney based in West Houston.
Andrew Schneider
Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary for public affairs at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS,) issued the following statement explaining the decision to end TPS for Afghans:
“Secretary Noem made the decision to terminate TPS for individuals from Afghanistan because the country’s improved security situation and its stabilizing economy no longer prevent them from returning to their home country,” McLaughlin wrote. “Additionally, the termination furthers the national interest and the statutory provision that TPS is in fact designed to be temporary. Additionally, DHS records indicate that there are Afghan nationals who are TPS recipients who have been the subject of administrative investigations for fraud, public safety, and national security.”
NPR reached out to two of the staunchest critics of former President Joe Biden’s handling of Afghanistan, Congressman McCaul and Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn, for their reactions to the approaching end of TPS for Afghans.
Cornyn did not respond to repeated requests for comment. McCaul sent the following statement:
“From the Houthis in Yemen to the cartels on our coasts, the Trump administration is taking decisive action to root out terrorism and make our world safer,” McCaul wrote. “The Taliban, however, have made their thirst for retribution against those who helped the United States clear. Until they demonstrate clear behavioral changes, I urge the administration to continue prioritizing the safety of the Afghan men and women who risked their lives to help our troops.”
The last two Congresses have taken up a bill called the Afghan Adjustment Act, aimed at speeding up the path to permanent legal status for Afghans who aided U.S. forces during the war and expanding the eligibility for Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs).
The measure died at the end of 2022 and 2024, and the current Congress has yet to refile the bill.
“Personally, I would like to see that happen yesterday,” said Yarzada, who heads the SIVs and Allies Program at Combined Arms. “The SIVs have given so much of their life, of their livelihood, to be in a place where they are, and I think it is our duty as Americans to support them, to give them a fair shot, a fair chance to be able to build a life here in the United States, because this is the most American thing that we can do.”
Many Afghans living in the U.S. fear being tortured or killed if they get deported
Heather Barr is urging the international community to take practical steps to address the educational crisis facing Afghan girls.
Human Rights Watch said that the ban on education for girls beyond the sixth grade and their access to higher education has created widespread challenges for Afghan women and girls over the past four years.
The deputy director of the women’s rights division at Human Rights Watch is urging the international community to take practical steps to address the educational crisis facing Afghan girls.
Heather Barr said: “The ban of education beyond sixth grade, the ban of medical education, the ban of higher education, the moments that pass when there are graduation days, Kankor exams, which women and girls are not able to participate in. And the important thing to say about this is that while obviously this is causing devastating harm to every girl who’s affected by this and every young woman and their families, it’s also causing devastating and permanent harm to the entire country.”
Tafsir Siyahpush, a women’s rights activist, said: “If this continues for more than three or nearly four years, we may have no teachers, no doctors. There will be thousands of other things we might lack. Women will remain excluded. And be assured: if women are not in leadership, half of society is missing. Our future, not just for women but for Afghanistan as a whole, will not be better.”
A number of university students in the country also say that due to the education ban, they are living in uncertainty and that serious attention is needed.
Marwa, a student, said: “I was studying administration and business, but after the second semester, the university was closed. My grades were high, and I was passionate about the field. I dreamed of becoming an entrepreneur and starting my own company.”
Sabria, another student, said: “My request is that the parties come together, negotiate, and reach an agreement so that the doors of schools and universities are reopened to Afghan girls.”
According to UNICEF, the United Nations Children’s Fund, a total of 2.2 million girls in Afghanistan have been deprived of education due to these restrictions, 400,000 of whom have been affected just in the current year.
UNICEF has warned that if the ban continues until 2030, over 4 million girls will be deprived of their right to education.
HRW: Ban on Girls’ Education Creating Widespread Challenges
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
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
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
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
Afghanistan Peace Campaign
