Britain to End Afghan Relocation Program by 2028

May 19, 2026 Current News Articles

Khaama Press

May 19, 2026

Britain has ended direct evacuation support inside Afghanistan but says Afghan resettlement from third countries will continue until 2028.

The United Kingdom government said its Afghan relocation and resettlement programs are expected to end by 2028 as authorities reduce pending applications and phase out temporary housing measures.

According to British defense officials on Monday, May 18, eligible Afghan applicants will no longer receive UK-supported transfers inside Afghanistan and must instead travel independently to a safe third country before relocation processing continues.

British officials said the decision followed an increase in successful transfers to third countries as well as concerns over operational costs and security risks.

The UK government said the backlog of pending Afghan relocation cases has fallen from around 25,000 to fewer than 17,000 after new applications closed in July 2025.

Officials estimate that fewer than 9,000 additional people remain eligible for transfer under the remaining schemes, with all outstanding cases expected to be reviewed by next spring.

Britain also announced plans to gradually close temporary accommodation centers and hotels used for Afghan arrivals as part of efforts to complete the program before the end of the current parliamentary term.

The United Kingdom launched several Afghan relocation programs following the withdrawal of Western forces and the return of the Taliban to power in 2021.

Thousands of Afghans who worked with Western governments, military missions and international organizations continue seeking relocation amid security fears, economic hardship and growing restrictions inside Afghanistan.

Former Afghanistan Minister Criticizes Clerics Over Muslim World Decline

May 19, 2026 Current News Articles

By Fidel Rahmati

Khaama Press

May 19, 2026

Abdul Bari Jahani, a former Afghanistan information minister and prominent Pashto poet, criticized religious clerics, saying they have played a major role in decline and divisions across Islamic societies.

Speaking in an interview with Sufi Podcast, Jahani said history, religion and Islamic texts themselves show that clerics have often contributed to conflict and social stagnation.

He also linked Afghanistan’s current crisis to the influence of religious leaders, saying the country’s longstanding problems were largely connected to their role in politics and society.

Afghanistan continues facing severe economic and humanitarian challenges, with millions of people dependent on international aid amid widespread unemployment, poverty and restrictions on public freedoms.

Religious clerics currently hold dominant influence across Afghanistan’s political and judicial institutions under Taliban rule, while critics argue that rigid religious governance has contributed to social isolation and deepening internal crises.

Since returning to power in 2021, the Taliban have imposed wide-ranging restrictions on women, media, education and civil society, drawing criticism from Afghan activists, religious scholars and international organizations.

Critics of the Taliban say the group’s strict interpretation of Islam has deepened Afghanistan’s economic isolation, worsened social restrictions and contributed to growing concerns over human rights and governance.

Afghanistan has experienced decades of conflict, restrictions and political instability linked to the rise of extremist groups and hardline religious movements across the country.

Jahani is widely known in Afghanistan as the writer of the country’s former national anthem and as one of the best-known contemporary Pashto literary figures.

Debates over the role of clerics and religion in governance have remained highly sensitive in Afghanistan, where decades of war and political instability have frequently involved religious factions and militant movements.

IOM: Returns of Afghan Migrants From Pakistan Continue at High Levels

May 19, 2026 Current News Articles

Sial Yousofi

Correspondent

Tolo News

19 May 2026

Uzbek-Afghan-Pakistan transit corridor making progress

May 19, 2026 Current News Articles

A train rests on the railroad that runs from Uzbekistan to Afghanistan’s Mazar-e-Sharif. Uzbekistan, as well as other Central Asian states, see potential routes via Afghanistan to Pakistan as their fastest and most efficient way to reach seaports. (Photo: Army Sgt. Michael Reinsch, IJC Public Affairs)

Tashkent eager to create route to sea.

A top Uzbek government official has revealed that Afghanistan, Pakistan and Uzbekistan are in “conceptual agreement” on creating a transit corridor to connect the Central Asian nation to ports on the Arabian Sea.

The semi-official Gazeta.uz news outlet cites Deputy Minister of Transport Jasurbek Choriev as saying a feasibility study is already being undertaken, adding that surveying work has begun on a corridor. “The next stage is to understand how quickly and how much capital we can attract, as well as what partners will be interested,” he said. He made the comments during a panel discussion earlier in May during the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB’s) annual meeting in the Uzbek city of Samarkand.

Choriev indicated that another option for a trade route to the sea, one that would link Uzbekistan to the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas, was not feasible now, given that “today’s situation remains very unpredictable.” Even if the United States, Israel and Iran can agree on a truce, lingering tension in the region stands to inject uncertainty into any trade route involving Tehran over at least the medium term.

“Therefore, our goal is to go through Afghanistan to Pakistan with access to the ports of Karachi and Gwadar,” Choriev said. “This will be a new route that Uzbekistan is striving for. And not only Uzbekistan: I think we need to join forces with other Central Asian countries and partners so that new transport corridors are built and built on time, without further delays.”

An Uzbek-Afghan-Pakistan transit corridor has its own challenges beyond lining up financing and navigating Afghanistan’s mountainous terrain. The Taliban regime’s reliability as a negotiating partner, as well as its ability to ensure security over any route, remains an open question. The Taliban’s lack of recognition by the United States and European Union as Afghanistan’s legitimate leadership will also complicate efforts to secure financial assistance from most multilateral development banks, such as the ADB and World Bank.

In addition, a dispute between Afghanistan and Pakistan that sparked armed clashes earlier this year remains unresolved. While a tenuous ceasefire has held since March, bilateral tension remains at a high level, a factor that can hamper work on a trade corridor.

Selling children to survive: Afghan fathers forced to make impossible choices

May 18, 2026 Current News Articles

Yogita Limaye

South Asia and Afghanistan correspondent

BBC News

18 May 2026

Imogen Anderson/BBC Abdul Rashid Azimi sits on the floor looking visibly sad with three of his children. — Abdul Rashid Azimi says he is prepared to sell one of his daughters to feed the others

As dawn breaks, hundreds of men gather at a dusty square in Chaghcharan, the capital of Ghor province in Afghanistan.

They line the roadside hoping someone will come along offering any work. It will determine whether their families eat that day.

The likelihood of success, however, is low.

Juma Khan, 45, has found just three days of work in the past six weeks that paid between 150 to 200 Afghani ($2.35-$3.13; £1.76-£2.34) per day.

“My children went to bed hungry three nights in a row. My wife was crying, so were my children. So I begged a neighbour for some money to buy flour,” he says.

“I live in fear that my children will die of hunger.”

His story is in no way unique.

Warning: This article contains distressing details

In Afghanistan today, a staggering three in four people cannot meet their basic needs, according to the UN. Unemployment is rife, healthcare struggling and the aid that once provided the basics for millions has dwindled to a fraction of what it once was.

The country is now facing record levels of hunger, with 4.7 million – more than a tenth of Afghanistan’s population – estimated to be one step away from famine.

Ghor is one of the worst-affected provinces.

The men here are desperate.

“I got a call saying my children hadn’t eaten for two days,” says Rabani, his voice choking up.

“I felt like I should kill myself. But then I thought how will that help my family? So here I am looking for work.”

“We are starving. My older children died, so I need to work to feed my family. But I’m old, so no one wants to give me work,” he says.

When a local bakery near the square opens up, the owner distributes stale bread among the crowd. Within seconds, the loaves have been pulled apart, half a dozen men clutching onto precious pieces.

Suddenly another scrum occurs. A man on a motorcycle comes by wanting to hire one labourer to carry bricks. Dozens of men throw themselves at him.

In the two hours we were there, only three men got hired.

In the communities nearby – bare homes scattered over barren, brown hills, set against the snowy peaks of the Siah Koh mountain range – the devastating impact of unemployment is clear.

Abdul Rashid Azimi takes us into his home and brings out two of his children – seven-year-old twins Roqia and Rohila. He holds them close, eager to explain why he’s making unbearable choices.

“I’m willing to sell by daughters,” he weeps. “I’m poor, in debt and helpless.

He hugs Rohila, kissing her as he cries. “It breaks my heart but it’s the only way to feed my other children.”

Imogen Anderson/BBC Men gather, some with their faces covered, hoping to get work early in the morning — Labourers gather early in a bid to find the little work there is

“All we have to eat is bread and hot water, not even tea,” says their mother, Kayhan.

Two of her teenage sons work polishing shoes in the town centre. Another collects rubbish, which Kayhan uses as fuel for cooking.

Saeed Ahmad tells us he has already been forced to sell his five-year-old daughter, Shaiqa, after she got appendicitis and a cyst in her liver.

“I had no money to pay the medical expenses. So I sold my daughter to a relative,” he says.

Shaiqa’s surgery was successful. The money for it came from the 200,000 Afghani ($3,200/£2,400) she has been sold for.

She puts her tiny arms around his neck. Their close bond is evident, but in five years, she will have to leave and go to the relative’s home.

“If I had money, I would never have taken this decision,” Saeed says.

“But then I thought, what if she dies without the surgery? This way at least she will be alive.”

Imogen Anderson/BBC Saeed Ahmad sits with his five-year-old daughter Shaiqa on his lap. His young son is also next to him and stares into the distance — Saeed Ahmad says he has sold his five-year-old daughter, Shaiqa

Just two years ago, Saeed was getting some help.

Back then, he and his family – like millions of other Afghans – received food aid: flour, cooking oil, lentils and supplements for children.

But massive cuts in aid over the past few years have deprived a large majority of this life-saving assistance.

Severe drought – which has affected more than half the provinces in the country – is compounding problems.

“We’ve had help from no one – not the government, not NGOs,” says villager Abdul Malik.

The Taliban government, which seized power in 2021, also places blame at the door of Afghanistan’s previous administration – forced out as foreign forces withdrew from the country.

“During the 20 years of invasion, an artificial economy was created due to the influx of US dollars,” Hamdullah Fitrat, deputy spokesman for the Taliban government, tells the BBC.

“After the end of the invasion, we inherited poverty, hardship, unemployment and other problems.”

However, the Taliban’s own policies, particularly its restrictions against women, are also a key reason why donors are turning away.

When asked, the Taliban government rejected any responsibility for donors walking away, stating instead that “humanitarian assistance should not be politicised”.

But while long-term projects might help one day, it is clear that there are millions who will simply not survive without urgent assistance.

Like Mohammad Hashem, whose 14-month-old baby girl died a few weeks ago.

“My child died of hunger and a lack of medicine… When a child is sick and hungry, it is obvious they will die,” he says.

A local elder says that child mortality, mainly due to malnutrition, has “really gone up” in the last two years.

Here, though, there are no formal records of deaths. The graveyard is the only place to find evidence of a surge in child deaths. And so, like we’ve done in the past, we counted the small and big graves separately. There were roughly twice as many small graves as big ones – suggesting twice as many children as adults.

Imogen Anderson/BBC Nurse Fatima Husseini wears a mask and stands next to an premature baby in an incubator — Nurse Fatima Husseini says infant deaths have become normal

There was more evidence at the main provincial hospital in Chaghcharan.

A nurse wheels in a small cot with newborn twin girls. They’re two months premature. One weighs 2kg, the other just 1kg.

They’re in a critical condition and were immediately put on oxygen.

Their mother, 22-year-old Shakila, is recovering in the maternity ward.

“She is weak because she had barely anything to eat when she was carrying them, just bread and tea,” the twins’ grandmother Gulbadan explains. “That’s why the babies are in such a condition.”

A few hours after we left the hospital that day, the heavier baby died before she could even be named.

“The doctors tried to help her but she died,” her stricken grandmother says the next day.

“I wrapped her tiny body up and took her home. When her mother found out, she fainted.”

Nurse Fatima Husseini says there are days when as many as three babies die.

“In the beginning, I found it very hard when I saw children dying. But now it has almost become normal for us,” she says.

Dr Muhammad Mosa Oldat, who runs the neonatal unit, says the mortality rate climbs as high as 10%, which is “not acceptable”.

“But because of poverty, the patient load is increasing every day,” he says. “And here we also don’t have the resources to treat the babies properly.”

In the paediatric intensive care unit, six-week-old Zameer is suffering from meningitis and pneumonia. Both are curable, but doctors would need to conduct an MRI scan and they don’t have the right equipment.

But perhaps the most shocking thing the medics tell us is that the public hospital doesn’t have medicine for most patients, with families having to buy their medication from pharmacies outside.

A lack of money is forcing many families to make tough decisions.

Gulbadan’s surviving granddaughter put on a little weight and her breathing stabilised. But a few days later, her family took her home. They simply couldn’t afford to keep her in hospital.

Baby Zameer was also taken home by his parents for the same reason.

Their tiny bodies will now have to fight the battle to survive all on their own.

Additional reporting by Imogen Anderson, Mahfouz Zubaide and Sanjay Ganguly

3 Killed in Bomb Blast in Pakistan’s South Waziristan

May 18, 2026 Current News Articles

By Fidel Rahmati

Khaama Press

May 18, 2026

At least three people, including prominent tribal leader Malik Tariq Wazir, were killed and four others injured in a bomb blast Monday in South Waziristan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistani officials said.

Police said the explosion occurred near Gulshan Plaza in the busy Rustam Bazaar area of Wana while the vehicle carrying the tribal elder was passing through the market.

According to local authorities, suspected militants planted explosives near the market overnight before detonating them during the morning hours.

Hospital officials said several injured people were transferred to Wana’s central hospital, where two victims remained in critical condition.

South Waziristan has long been affected by militant violence and security operations, with Pakistani forces continuing campaigns against armed groups operating near the Afghanistan border.

Tribal elders in the region often play key roles in local mediation efforts and peace negotiations, making them frequent targets in attacks linked to militancy and regional instability.

Local residents said the explosion triggered panic across the market area, forcing traders and shopkeepers to temporarily shut down businesses following the attack.

Pakistan has faced a sharp increase in militant attacks in recent years, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, with security forces, tribal elders and civilians frequently targeted in bombings and armed assaults.

Pakistani officials have repeatedly accused the Kabul administration of failing to prevent armed groups from using Afghanistan territory to launch attacks inside Pakistan, allegations that Taliban consistently denied.

Commission Urges Afghans Abroad to Return and Live Safely

May 18, 2026 Current News Articles

Hadia Ziaei

Tolo News

17 May 2026

International Museum Day Highlights Afghanistan’s Cultural Heritage

May 18, 2026 Current News Articles

TOLOnews

TV Network

18 May 2026

The National Museum of Afghanistan preserves more than 60,000 historical and cultural artifacts from different periods of the history.

May 18 marks International Museum Day, observed to highlight the role of museums in preserving historical, cultural, and artistic artifacts, as well as raising public awareness about the value of human heritage.

Yahya Mohebzada, head of restoration at the National Museum, said: “There are more than 60,000 artifacts, but not all of them are on display. Many are kept in the depots and storage sections of the National Museum of Afghanistan because, unfortunately, we lack sufficient space and facilities.”

In Afghanistan, International Museum Day is also marked with an emphasis on protecting the country’s historical artifacts.

The National Museum of Afghanistan, located in Kabul, is considered one of the country’s most important museums.

The museum preserves more than 60,000 historical and cultural artifacts from different periods of Afghanistan’s history.

Ahmad Zakaria Nasrati, director general of information and public relations at the National Museum, said: “Museums are undoubtedly among the greatest centers of a country’s civilization, history, and culture.”

The museum dates back more than a century and displays artifacts from various historical eras for public viewing.

Artifacts housed in the National Museum include items from the pre-Islamic era, the Greco-Bactrian period, the Kushan era, the Bronze Age, and the Islamic period.

The museum contains several sections and exhibitions, including:

Islamic-era artifacts
Mes Aynak exhibition
Ai-Khanoum exhibition
Bronze Age exhibition
Thousand Cities exhibition
Handicrafts exhibition
Coin exhibition
Ethnography exhibition
Vintage car exhibition

Mohammad Ibrahim, an employee of the National Museum, said: “The vehicle section includes more than 18 vehicles from different periods.”

Visitors also say that the existence of such museums is highly important for preserving the country’s history and culture.

Sayed Sediqullah, a university student, told TOLOnews: “We came from Laghman University to visit the National Museum so that we could see the country’s historical artifacts.”

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Information and Culture says it is committed to protecting historical artifacts and preventing their smuggling out of the country.

Khubaib Ghafran, spokesperson for the ministry, said: “The Ministry of Information and Culture of the Islamic Emirate has carried out comprehensive activities over the past year in surveying, professional excavations, restoration, and preservation of historical artifacts and heritage.”

The National Museum of Afghanistan was built during the reign of King Amanullah Khan, and it continues to attract visitors from داخل and outside the country, especially foreign tourists.

Women’s Health in Afghanistan Faces Severe Crisis Amid Restrictions and Dwindling Aid

May 18, 2026 Current News Articles

Mohammad

8AM media

Hasht e Subh

18 May 2026

IOM /Marjan Wafa

The Afghanistan Analysts Network (AAN) has reported that women’s health in Afghanistan is facing a serious crisis as a result of the closure of healthcare facilities, a shortage of female health workers, restrictions on girls’ education, and a decline in foreign aid.

In a new report published on Sunday, May 17, the network stated that women’s access to healthcare services, particularly in rural areas, has become increasingly difficult in recent years, as clinic closures, a lack of female doctors and midwives, and economic pressures on families have compounded the problem.

According to the organization, many women have been unable to afford even the cost of transportation to reach their nearest healthcare facility.

The report noted that the continuation of this situation poses a serious threat to the future of the women’s healthcare system, as the closure of secondary schools and universities to girls has halted the training of a new generation of female doctors, midwives, and health workers.

According to the report, since early 2025, the United States, which provided approximately 40 percent of aid to Afghanistan in 2024, has abruptly cut its assistance.

Furthermore, based on the World Health Organization (WHO) health bulletin from July 2025, 422 healthcare centers across Afghanistan have closed as a result of this reduction in funding.

The Afghanistan Analysts Network said that several other donors have also reduced their budgets, while the Taliban have allocated the bulk of financial resources to security institutions.

According to the report, the World Bank (WB), in its March 2026 economic report, noted that the Taliban’s Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Defense, and Directorate of Intelligence received approximately 48 percent of the budget in fiscal year 2025, while the share allocated to public health stood at just 2.6 percent.

Another section of the report stated that Taliban restrictions on women’s travel and the requirement for a male guardian to accompany women in some areas when visiting healthcare facilities have made it even more difficult for women to access medical services.

The report warned that if girls’ schools are not reopened and women’s education in the health sector is not resumed, the state of women’s health in Afghanistan will follow a downward trajectory in the years ahead.

Afghanistan-Russia Joint Meeting Concludes in Kazan

May 17, 2026 Current News Articles

TOLOnews

TV Network

16 May 2026

The Kyrgyz delegation also stressed that stability and economic progress in Afghanistan would benefit the entire region.

The Deputy Minister of Economy described the joint Afghanistan-Russia meeting held in Kazan under the leadership of the Islamic Emirate’s Minister of Higher Education as productive and successful.

Abdul Latif Nazari said the high-level delegation of the Islamic Emirate, during its week-long visit to Russia, held intensive and constructive discussions with Russian officials on cooperation in mining, oil and gas, roads, railways, trade, transportation, and energy.

“Key issues such as trade, transportation, and energy were discussed in intensive, serious, constructive, and useful negotiations. The achievements of the Islamic Emirate delegation in all these areas are significant, and the results will soon be shared with the people of Afghanistan and will bring tangible outcomes,” Nazari said.

Meanwhile, Sheikh Neda Mohammad Nadeem, the Islamic Emirate’s Minister of Higher Education, met on the sidelines of the summit with the deputy prime ministers of Russia and Kyrgyzstan. The sides emphasized expanding economic relations and strengthening trade cooperation among Kabul, Moscow, and Bishkek.

The Kyrgyz delegation also stressed that stability and economic progress in Afghanistan would benefit the entire region.

Ziaullah Hashemi, spokesman for the Ministry of Higher Education, said the minister emphasized the continuation of relations between the Islamic Emirate and the Russian Federation, adding that both sides should work to further expand ties.

Political and economic analysts also believe that the continuation of such meetings could help expand economic cooperation and increase investment between the countries.

Political analyst Yusuf Amin Zazi told TOLOnews that Afghanistan seeks stable relations and should pursue a neutral, economy-centered, and independent foreign policy to secure its future interests.

Economic analyst Sayed Massoud said Afghanistan’s geostrategic position could once again be revived through such cooperation, adding that it would help protect the country’s interests, although Pakistan is also trying to strengthen its own regional position.

The Kazan Forum is an annual international economic summit hosted by Russia with the aim of expanding trade and economic ties among Asian countries, particularly members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

Tashkent eager to create route to sea.

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