Former Afghan Diplomat Abdul Ghafoor Rawan Farhadi Dies at 96

July 28, 2026
Mohammad Bashir Soltani
Reporter, Political Writer
Tolo News
27 July 2026

Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai described Farhadi’s passing as a great loss to Afghanistan’s cultural community.

 Abdul Ghafoor Rawan Farhadi, a former Afghan diplomat, author, researcher, and one of the country’s most prominent intellectuals, passed away Sunday evening at the age of 96 in the United States.

His son, Tariq Farhadi, said his father died of old age.

Farhadi was an influential figure in Afghanistan’s political history and, alongside his diplomatic career, left a lasting legacy in the fields of history, Islamic mysticism, linguistics, and literature.

Tariq Farhadi said: “Rawan Farhadi passed away at the age of 96. He witnessed nearly a century of Afghanistan’s history. During the reign of King Zahir Shah, he served as Secretary to the Council of Ministers.”

After completing his higher education in France, Farhadi began his official career at Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Over several decades, he served in various diplomatic positions, including more than a decade as Afghanistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations.

In addition to his political career, Farhadi was widely recognized as a leading scholar of Persian and Pashto language and literature, Islamic mysticism, and Afghan history.

University professor Ismail Roshangar said: “Besides being a seasoned diplomat, Rawan Farhadi contributed to the English translation of Rumi’s quatrains and played an important role in introducing Persian literary works to the Western world.”

Farhadi earned his doctorate in Indo-Iranian Studies from France’s Sorbonne University in 1955 with a dissertation titled “Spoken Persian of Afghanistan.”

In addition to Afghanistan’s two official languages, he was fluent in French, English, and Arabic, and for many years taught Persian literature at universities in Paris and Berkeley.

Major Works and Cultural Contributions
Khwaja Abdullah Ansari
Translation of Manazil al-Sa’irin
Translation of The Passion of al-Hallaj by Louis Massignon
Twenty-two years of collaboration on the complete English translation of Rumi’s quatrains
Avicenna and Mysticism
The Tajik Language of Transoxiana
History of Pashto Pronunciation and Morphology
Research on Persian vocabulary through Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh
Compilation of Siraj al-Akhbar articles and the works of Mahmoud Tarzi
Publication of more than 15 books in French and dozens of scholarly articles

Farhadi’s funeral is scheduled to take place in San Francisco, California, within the next two days.

Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai described Farhadi’s passing as a great loss to Afghanistan’s cultural community.

Former Afghan Diplomat Abdul Ghafoor Rawan Farhadi Dies at 96
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UNAMA Report Highlights Women’s Rights, Education Ban in Afghanistan

July 28, 2026
Mitra Majeedy
Journalist
Tolo News
28 July 2026

The report also referred to the detention of media workers, saying it reflects a difficult and concerning environment.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), in its latest quarterly human rights report, addressed issues including women’s rights, the recently issued regulation on the separation of spouses, restrictions on female UN staff, and the continued ban on girls’ education.

UNAMA said it documented 389 cases of arbitrary arrest and detention and 65 cases of ill-treatment involving Afghan women and men by personnel of the Vice and Virtue Ministry between April 1 and June 30.

According to the report, these cases were linked to alleged violations of the hijab directive for women, beard grooming and “Western” hairstyles for men, and the playing or listening of music.

Women’s rights activist Tafsir Siyahpoosh said: “Afghanistan is an Islamic country where women live according to Islamic values and many voluntarily observe the hijab. She said education is the best way to strengthen these values.”

The report also referred to the detention of media workers, saying it reflects a difficult and concerning environment.

UNAMA further stated that although the Islamic Emirate has not publicly released figures on corporal punishment as it did previously, the UN documented the implementation of 137 ta’zir punishments during the reporting period, including 112 men and 25 women.

Religious scholar Hasibullah Hanif said establishing justice is one of the state’s fundamental responsibilities, adding that the principles of ta’zir and qisas can contribute to upholding justice when properly applied.

The Islamic Emirate has not recently commented on the report but has consistently maintained that women’s rights are protected in Afghanistan. It has also previously urged UNAMA to reflect what it describes as the realities of Afghanistan in its reports.

UNAMA Report Highlights Women’s Rights, Education Ban in Afghanistan
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Sources: Daesh and Other Armed Opposition Bases Targeted in Chitral

July 28, 2026
Bibi Amina Hakimi
TOLOnews’ Reporter
28 July 2026
They said the pre-designated targets were successfully hit, inflicting heavy casualties on members of the two groups.
Sources say a series of airstrikes targeted positions of armed opposition groups and Daesh (ISIS) centres in the Shah Salim area of Chitral, across the Durand Line. According to the sources, the strikes were carried out by the forces of the Islamic Emirate.

The sources added that the operation was aimed at locations allegedly used by armed opposition groups and Daesh members to plan and coordinate attacks against Afghanistan.

They said the pre-designated targets were successfully hit, inflicting heavy casualties on members of the two groups.

Political analyst Akhtar Mohammad Rasekh said: “Daesh and other opponents of the current government maintain bases in some areas of Pakistan, including Chitral. Some Afghan migrants are also being used to advance intelligence activities and carry out targeted operations.”

However, as of the publication of this report, neither Afghan nor Pakistani officials had commented on the reported airstrikes.

The reports come at a time when relations between Kabul and Islamabad have been marked by heightened political and security tensions in recent months. Both sides have repeatedly accused each other of harbouring and supporting armed groups.

Military analyst Sadiq Shinwari said: “Targeting the positions and centres of opposition groups inside Pakistan could not only reduce security threats against Afghanistan but also contribute to improving regional security.”

The reports follow an earlier announcement by Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defence, which said it had carried out strikes against Daesh centres in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Sources: Daesh and Other Armed Opposition Bases Targeted in Chitral
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Islamic Emirate: Expanding Regional Ties ‘Foreign Policy Priority’

July 28, 2026
Mursaleen Muwahed
Multilingual Journalist & Social Media Editor
Tolo News
28 July 2026

Mujahid said these relations are being developed on the basis of Afghanistan’s national interests.

Speaking during a virtual briefing with the media from Kandahar, Islamic Emirate spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said Afghanistan’s ties with regional countries are expanding under the government’s connectivity- and economy-focused approach.

Mujahid said these relations are being developed on the basis of Afghanistan’s national interests.

“We seek relations with all countries. Regional and neighboring countries are of particular importance because our economic ties and interests are interconnected. Afghanistan assures that its territory will not be used against any country, and our policy is centered on the economy and regional connectivity,” Mujahid said.

Political analyst Aziz Maarij said the Islamic Emirate needs to make changes on issues such as human rights, girls’ education, women’s employment, and the formation of an inclusive political system.

“The current global environment requires changes, particularly regarding human rights, girls’ education, women’s work, and inclusive governance. That is also why the international community has not recognized the Islamic Emirate,” Maarij said.

Mujahid also described Afghanistan’s security situation as stable and reliable.

He said there are no challenges along the country’s official borders or the hypothetical Durand Line with Pakistan, adding that the government has the security situation under control across the country.

“Our people should have no concerns in this regard. Our border forces are defending the country’s territorial integrity with great restraint,” Mujahid said.

Although the Islamic Emirate has established political and economic relations with a number of regional and other countries as it approaches its fifth year in power, Russia remains the only country to have formally recognized it. No other country has taken that step so far.

Islamic Emirate: Expanding Regional Ties ‘Foreign Policy Priority’
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Gunmen kill high-ranking Taliban official in Afghanistan in rare targeted attack

July 28, 2026

By ABDUL QAHAR AFGHAN

Associated Press
July 28, 2026

KABUL, Afghanistan — Gunmen killed a high-ranking local Taliban official in Afghanistan’s northwestern province of Badakhshan on Tuesday in a rare targeted killing in the country.

Two gunmen shot Zabihullah Amiri, Badakhshan’s director of information and culture, as he headed from a local district to the provincial capital Faizabad, the Information Ministry said in a statement.

“Immediately following the incident, security guards opened fire on the attackers; one attacker was killed and the second was captured,” the ministry said, adding that authorities were investigating the killing.

Targeted killings of high-ranking Taliban officials have been rare since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in 2021 in the wake of the withdrawal of U.S.-led forces.

In December 2024, the country’s refugee minister, Khalil Haqqani, was killed in a suicide bombing in the capital Kabul. Haqqani was the uncle of Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, who leads a powerful network within the Taliban.

In June 2023, a car bomb in Faizabad killed Badakhshan’s deputy governor, Nisar Ahmad Ahmadi, as well as his driver. A regional affiliate of the Islamic State group, known as the Islamic State in Khorasan Province, claimed responsibility for the attack, as well as a suicide bombing that struck a memorial service for the deputy governor days later, killing at least 13 people.

In March 2023, the governor of the northern province of Balkh was killed in a bomb attack on the governor’s office.

Gunmen kill high-ranking Taliban official in Afghanistan in rare targeted attack
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Months of fighting between Afghanistan and Pakistan have killed nearly 500 Afghan civilians, UN says

July 28, 2026
By  ELENA BECATOROS
July 28, 2026

Cross-border fighting between Pakistan and Afghanistan has killed nearly 500 civilians in Afghanistan and wounded over 1,000 others between October and the end of June, the United Nations said Tuesday.

In a report on the human rights situation, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said it had documented 499 civilians killed and 1,216 wounded by the fighting between the neighbors that has defied international peace efforts.

In one case, the report said, civilians trying to rescue others from the rubble of an airstrike were hit by a second one.

The report also explores other human rights issues, including a deadly crackdown on protests in western Afghanistan over restrictions on women’s clothing, and decrees that essentially legalize child marriage.

Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of harboring militants

Pakistan and Afghanistan have been fighting on and off for months. Tension escalated significantly in February, when Afghan forces launched a raid into Pakistan in retaliation for Pakistani airstrikes inside Afghanistan, and Islamabad declared it was in “ open war.”

Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of harboring militants who carry out deadly attacks that have killed thousands over the years in Pakistan, especially the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan. The group is allied with the Afghan Taliban, which has ruled Afghanistan since it seized power in 2021 amid the chaotic withdrawal of U.S.-led troops. Kabul denies the allegation.

In the deadliest attack of the fighting, a Pakistani airstrike hit a drug treatment center in the Afghan capital, Kabul, in March, killing hundreds of civilians. Rights group Amnesty International said last week the bombing should be investigated as a possible war crime.

Pakistan has not given an overall figure for civilian casualties caused by the cross-border fighting in its territory. The U.N. mission, known by its acronym UNAMA, noted it is only mandated to monitor incidents in Afghanistan.

In a written response to UNAMA’s report, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said Afghanistan’s Taliban government “continues to maintain a permissive environment for a range of (militant) organizations.”

The response did not mention Afghan civilian casualties but said Pakistan’s military strikes “were directed exclusively at identified terrorist hideouts, sanctuaries, and support infrastructure linked to groups responsible for attacks inside Pakistan.”

The hundreds of civilian casualties listed by UNAMA include 22 — five of them children — who were killed in two successive airstrikes on a residential building in the eastern province of Paktia on June 28. At least 185 others were wounded.

Most of the deaths and injuries were caused by the second strike, when locals were trying to rescue the victims of the first one.

“International humanitarian law provides special protections for medical personnel and humanitarian workers, including first responders. Attacks against them while performing their duties are strictly prohibited,” said Fiona Frazer, director of human rights at UNAMA.

Afghan women still face harsh restrictions

UNAMA’s report also highlighted problems faced by women, who are subject to draconian restrictions by Afghanistan’s Taliban government. They include a ban on education beyond primary school, a strict dress code, bans on working in nearly all professions and a requirement to be accompanied by a male relative when outside the home.

The report detailed a crackdown in the western city of Herat in June, where at least 30 women were arrested on allegations of dress code violations. At least one person was killed and several others were injured when authorities opened fire during a rare protest against the detentions.

Rules governing women’s clothing stipulate they can only go out in public when wearing full hijab — which includes a headscarf and robe covering the entire body — as well as a face covering that leaves only the eyes visible. The regulations are policed by the feared Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice.

However, interpretations of the rules and what constitutes wearing the hijab correctly vary and can be arbitrarily enforced.

The UNAMA report said Vice and Virtue officials visited health clinics and shops in various parts of the country to advise them to refuse entry to women not accompanied by a male relative.

The report also said new rules on separation in marriage “ implicitly sanction child marriage ” by allowing for marriage contracts to be arranged for minors.

 

Months of fighting between Afghanistan and Pakistan have killed nearly 500 Afghan civilians, UN says
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‘I disguised myself as a boy so I could go to school’

July 28, 2026
Louise Parry
BBC News
24 July 2026
Tom Williams/BBC A woman with long dark brown hair wearing a blue jacket, a white scarf and a white top. She is standing on a grass sports field.
Zahra Joya fled to the UK in 2021 and is now a bye-fellow at Cambridge University

Zahra Joya was only five years old when a huge door closed to her – and to all girls in her home country of Afghanistan. The Taliban had seized power in 1996 and banned females from attending school. But with her father out of the country, Zahra’s mother came up with a daring workaround: presenting her daughter as a little boy.

“It was my mother’s idea to give me this chance, but I was passionate about learning. I always said, ‘I need to go to school, I need to play outside with boys’. I had the chance to become a self-made boy,” recalls Zahra, who now lives in the UK and is a bye-fellow at the University of Cambridge’s Hughes Hall.

She fled Afghanistan in 2021 after the Taliban regained control, and now runs a news agency that highlights the oppression of women.

Zahra, 33, says her passion for female equality is firmly rooted in the childhood days she spent playing the role of a boy called Mohammed: an experience that “shifted the course of my life”.

supplied Zahra's wider family inside a house, wearing traditional Afghan clothes. She squats at the front, with dark hair and a fringe, next to her young brother who has cropped hair. Five other young children stand behind her – the girls in green and pink smocks over white trousers. Her mother is at the back wearing a red headscarf.
Zahra, front left, dressed in boys’ clothes so she could attend school

As a child living in a remote mountain village, Zahra swapped her headscarf for a button-up shirt and woollen blazer and made a two-hour walk to school.

The distance from her home meant people at school did not know her true identity, but she was still “very nervous” about being discovered.

“My hair was very, very long, and in my village boys didn’t have long hair. When I first met the headmaster, he asked me to cut my hair short,” she says.

One of her relatives helped by teaching her how to play football and go into the mountains –”things boys would do, not girls”.

“Other girls were playing dolls but I never had a doll,” she says.

Zahra Joya A close-up, slightly blurry shot of Zahra dressed as a boy. She has thick black chin-length hair with a heavy fringe, and wears aviator style sunglasses. She has a white shirt and a blue waistcoat.
Zahra’s longer hair nearly gave her away

‘Act of bravery’

Only later did it dawn on Zahra what a risk her family had taken.

“My mum and grandad were very concerned about if people found out I was a girl, not a boy.

“I really didn’t understand the risk. It was an act of bravery from my family, and by me.

“I’m grateful to everyone who knew about me but respected and accepted me as someone who was passionate about education.”

The risk had been weighed up against another threat.

“The Taliban wanted to get married with young girls in my village,” Zahra says.

“[My family was] afraid they would come to our house and force us to get married with them.

“From that perspective, I was a little safer than other girls in my village.”

Supplied Zahra as an older girl wearing a headscarf and other flowing clothes, dancing along stones in a river. There are trees on both sides and the sun is shining through.
Growing up, Zahra loved the freedom she had while acting as a boy

At home, her family still called her Zahra, but she wanted to keep the privileges afforded to boys in a culture where girls rarely left their homes.

“It gave me the chance to be in the circle of male power,” she says.

“It was the man’s responsibility to turn on the TV. I had the opportunity to run the house, to serve and welcome guests.”

Even when girls were finally allowed to go to school again, after Western forces invaded Afghanistan in 2001, Zahra did not fully reverse her role .

“I had to change my clothes for school as my grandfather insisted. I dressed in my uniform, but when I returned home I put on my boy’s clothes.

“The whole family asked why, and I said, ‘I love it, it’s my world’.”

Amie Ferris-Rotman A slightly blurry image showing Zahra holding out a recording device or smartphone towards a man who is smartly dressed in clerical clothing, with a black jacket and white turban. He is gesticulating with his hand. She is wearing a blue and white polka dot headscarf.
Zahra, who trained as a lawyer and journalist, interviewing a Taliban official in Moscow

Zahra says going to school “really changed my life”.

“It helped me understand what it means to be a girl in a difficult position.”

She says masquerading as Mohammed taught her as much as any formal studies.

“It helped me to understand culturally about this society – that Afghanistan is deeply misogynistic and conservative about women,” she explains.

“This understanding really pushed me to fight for equality and human rights. I became a feminist.

“I realise now it was never just about going to school; it was about preserving my identity and dignity and my right to exist.

“I didn’t fully understand at the time, but that experience shifted the course of my life.”

Zahra Joya Zahra sits on a wooden and black metal bench on a cobbled street by the River Thames. Tower Bridge is in the background. She turns and smiles at the camera. She wears a pink headscarf and a black pinstriped coat, and black sandals.Zahra Joya
Zahra and her family are now in London but she continues to cover stories from Afghanistan

Millions of girls joined Zahra in receiving an education when the Taliban were ousted from government.

But in 2021, Western forces withdrew from the country and the fundamentalist group quickly regained control.

“The day the Taliban returned to power, things collapsed in our lives,” Zahra says.

“It was about the collapse of freedom of women, of hopes for the future.”

In her book, The Vanishing Girl of Kabul, Zahra recounts the palpable fear she felt as the Taliban took one city after another.

“It was the most difficult moment of my life, [making] a decision in a minute to leave behind everything that we built – even my parents, not knowing if I would see them again.

“Thanks to God, the UK government gave us this chance to be safe, but I still feel like fleeing the country is not a solution. Freedom has a cost.”

She is now rebuilding her life in the UK with her parents and siblings, and hopes to “find a sense of home”.

“It is really heartbreaking that history is repeating around us.”

Girls over the age of 12 have been barred from attending school since the Taliban returned to power.

Zahra says: “I’m sure women and girls are still trying to change their identity – but it’s not a solution.”

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‘I disguised myself as a boy so I could go to school’
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UN Warns Funding Shortfall Threatens Nutrition Support for 5.7 Million in Afghanistan

July 27, 2026
Khaama Press

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has warned that a funding shortfall in 2026 is threatening nutrition programmes that support 5.7 million children and mothers across Afghanistan.

OCHA said on Sunday that millions of vulnerable Afghans could lose access to essential health and nutrition services unless humanitarian organisations receive urgent funding. The agency warned that financial constraints are already reducing the capacity of humanitarian partners to respond to growing needs, particularly among children and mothers at risk of malnutrition.

The warning comes as Afghanistan continues to face one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises, driven by widespread poverty, food insecurity, weak public services and limited access to healthcare. Years of conflict, economic disruption and restrictions on humanitarian and development activities have left millions of Afghans dependent on international assistance.

Children remain particularly vulnerable. Poor access to nutritious food, clean water, healthcare and sanitation has increased the risk of acute malnutrition, while families struggling with poverty often face difficult choices between buying food and meeting other essential needs.

Women and children are also among the groups most affected by Afghanistan’s broader humanitarian challenges. Restrictions on women’s participation in public life and employment have limited household incomes and complicated the delivery of some humanitarian and health services.

OCHA has previously warned that Afghanistan’s nutrition situation remains concerning, with malnutrition increasing in several parts of the country. Humanitarian organisations have repeatedly called for sustained funding to maintain programmes that provide treatment for malnourished children, maternal nutrition support and essential health services.

The UN agency’s latest warning highlights the potential consequences of declining international humanitarian funding at a time when needs remain extremely high. Funding shortages could force aid agencies to reduce the scale or coverage of nutrition programmes, potentially leaving vulnerable communities without timely assistance.

The situation is particularly concerning in remote and underserved areas, where access to healthcare and humanitarian services is already limited. For families living in poverty, the loss of nutrition programmes could increase the risk of preventable illness and death among children and mothers.

Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis has persisted despite a reduction in large-scale armed conflict since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. The country’s economy remains fragile, unemployment and poverty are widespread, and millions continue to struggle to meet basic needs.

International humanitarian agencies have warned that humanitarian assistance remains critical to preventing further deterioration, while stressing that long-term improvements will also require stronger public services, economic opportunities and sustainable development.

UN Warns Funding Shortfall Threatens Nutrition Support for 5.7 Million in Afghanistan
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Afghans in Mazar-i-Sharif report Iranian visa black market charging up to $1,700

July 27, 2026
Khaama Press

 

Afghan residents in Mazar-i-Sharif say intermediaries are demanding hundreds or thousands of dollars to arrange Iranian visas despite an announcement that visas for Afghan pilgrims travelling for Arbaeen would be issued free of charge under specified conditions, according to reports.

Residents in Mazar-i-Sharif reported that some intermediaries were offering to arrange Iranian Arbaeen visas for between $1,000 and $1,700. Some residents said they had been approached by intermediaries demanding large sums to secure visas, while an investigation found indications of an informal market for Iranian visas.

According to the report, some companies said intermediaries charged at least $500 per applicant to arrange an Iranian visa. The amount could rise depending on the applicant’s circumstances, the number of family members and the type of application, with some applicants allegedly asked to pay significantly higher amounts.

Several residents claimed that obtaining Iranian visas remained difficult despite the official policy. They said the gap between the announced free visa arrangements and their experience had created opportunities for intermediaries to exploit applicants.

Some residents also cited economic hardship, unemployment and limited job opportunities as reasons for seeking to travel to Iran, particularly to find work and support their families.

Iran’s Embassy in Kabul has previously announced that Arbaeen pilgrimage visas for Afghan nationals would be issued free of charge under specified conditions. Some residents, however, stated to the media that the announced policy did not always match their experience when they sought to obtain visas.

Relevant officials in Mazar-i-Sharif have not yet commented on the allegations.

Khaama Press could not independently verify the allegations, including the reported payments, the identities of the intermediaries or the claims made by others. The available information also does not establish any involvement by Iranian diplomatic or consular authorities in the alleged payments.

The reported allegations highlight concerns over the transparency and accessibility of the visa process for Afghan applicants. They also show how difficulties in obtaining travel documents can leave applicants vulnerable to intermediaries who promise to secure visas in exchange for large sums of money.

Afghans in Mazar-i-Sharif report Iranian visa black market charging up to $1,700
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Kabul Water Crisis Deepens, Raising Health, Livelihood Concerns

July 27, 2026
Bibi Amina Hakimi
TOLOnews’ Reporter
27 July 2026

In many neighborhoods across Kabul, families wait for hours for water tankers to arrive, while others are forced to buy water at high prices.

Kabul’s water shortage is worsening, leaving millions of residents struggling with limited access to drinking water, rising water costs, and growing concerns over the future of the city’s water resources.

The capital, which relies largely on groundwater for its drinking water supply, has in recent years experienced a sharp decline in groundwater levels, the drying up of hundreds of wells, and contamination of a significant portion of its water sources.

Abdul Hamid, a Kabul resident, said: “Water used to be found at depths of 10 to 20 meters. Now it has dropped to around 80, 100, and even 120 meters. People are facing serious difficulties, and the water is also polluted.”

Shah Zaman Farooqi, another Kabul resident, said: “We ask people to be mindful of their water consumption and avoid wasting water.”

In many neighborhoods across Kabul, families wait for hours for water tankers to arrive, while others are forced to buy water at high prices.

The rising cost of water has turned the shortage from an environmental challenge into a livelihood crisis, particularly for low-income families.

Ramesh, a Kabul resident, said: “People are facing water shortages and cannot afford to buy water. Someone who earns 100 afghanis a day cannot afford to purchase it.”

Naser Ahmad, another resident, said: “As the water shortage worsens, people are increasingly forced to buy water. The difficulties people face are growing.”

Experts attribute the crisis to rapid population growth, climate change, prolonged drought, excessive groundwater extraction, and weak water resource management.

Sayed Mohammad Sulaimankhail, an environmental expert, said: “In the short term, water needs to be transferred from other provinces to areas facing severe shortages.”

Meanwhile, projects aimed at improving water resource management and strengthening resilience to climate change are underway. The Kabul Water Supply Company says it has short-, medium-, and long-term plans to address the crisis.

Shafiullah Zahedi, head of the Kabul Water Supply and Sewerage Zone, said: “Our long-term projects include the Panjshir water project, the Shah wa Aroos Dam, and the Shah Toot Dam. Survey and design work for the Panjshir project is currently underway, funding has been allocated, and six government agencies are carrying out the initial stages.”

Kabul’s water shortage is no longer just an environmental issue. It has become a challenge for public health, the urban economy, and the human security of millions of residents—a crisis that requires long-term planning, effective management, and cooperation between domestic institutions and the international community.

Kabul Water Crisis Deepens, Raising Health, Livelihood Concerns
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