Discussions About Reopening US Embassy in Kabul Ongoing: Mujahid

Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesman for the Islamic Emirate, told Al Arabiya that negotiations are ongoing for handing over the Afghan embassy in Washington to the caretaker government and for reopening the US embassy in Kabul.

He also stated that these two issues were shared with the American delegation that had visited Kabul, and the caretaker government is now awaiting Washington’s response.

Mujahid told Al Arabiya: “Negotiations for handing over the Afghan embassy in the US are ongoing. This is the beginning of talks and understanding. As you know, the delegation that came to Kabul returned to the US with some matters. We have to see what America’s next steps will be.”

In his statement, Mujahid emphasized that the caretaker government has closed the chapter of war with the US and is in favor of good relations with the country. He urged the US to reopen its embassy in Kabul to build trust and foster relations between Kabul and Washington.

The spokesman added: “We also want the US embassy in Kabul to resume its activities so that relations and understanding between the two countries can be established, and they can reach a trustworthy level of cooperation through diplomacy that ensures the interests of both nations.”

“Half of the Doha Agreement has been implemented, but the other half, which is intra-Afghan talks, has not yet been carried out. This process must be worked on. In my opinion, if that happens, it will be easier for us to establish relations with the US and other countries,” said Moeen Gul Samkanai, a political analyst.

Discussions About Reopening US Embassy in Kabul Ongoing: Mujahid
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U.S. Lifts Millions in Bounties on Senior Taliban Officials

The move was a significant shift toward leaders of the Haqqani network, which was behind some of the deadliest attacks during the war in Afghanistan.

The United States has lifted multimillion-dollar bounties on three senior Taliban officials, according to Afghan authorities and a senior American official.

The move is a significant shift by the Trump administration toward militants who were behind some of the deadliest attacks during the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan but have refashioned themselves as a more moderate voice within the Taliban.

The bounties were removed days after a U.S. hostage envoy, Adam Boehler, made the first visit by a high-ranking American diplomat to Kabul, the Afghan capital, since the Taliban seized power in 2021. His talks with Taliban representatives led to the release of an American citizen who had been detained in Afghanistan for more than two years.

Many Taliban officials saw the meeting in Kabul and the subsequent lifting of the bounties as a major victory for a government that was almost completely shut out by the United States during the Biden administration. The steps also put fresh momentum behind a Taliban faction that has pushed for the government to pull back on its hard-line policies to gain wider acceptance on the world stage.

Mr. Haqqani, his brother Abdul Azizi Haqqani and a cousin, Yahya Haqqani, no longer appear on the State Department’s Rewards for Justice website. The bounty was removed on Monday from the F.B.I.’s wanted poster for Sirajuddin Haqqani.

A spokesman for the Taliban’s Ministry of Interior Affairs, Abdul Mateen Qani, said that “a deal with the U.S. was finalized” to lift the bounties, after the issue was discussed multiple times with American officials.

“This is a major achievement for the Islamic Emirate,” he added, referring to the Taliban government.

The American official who confirmed the bounty removals spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive diplomacy. The Trump administration, including in a January social media post by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, has made clear that it could reimpose or increase bounties on Taliban leaders if additional Americans held in Afghanistan are not released.

The meeting on Thursday in Kabul between Trump administration and Taliban officials followed initially tense indirect interactions by the two sides. In January, President Trump demanded that the Taliban return $7 billion in American military hardware left in Afghanistan after the U.S. withdrawal. He threatened to cut all financial aid to the country if it was not returned.

The Taliban authorities rejected the notion, noting that the equipment had been crucial in keeping the Islamic State affiliate in the region at bay, according to two Afghan officials with knowledge of the matter.

Since the Taliban seized power, the United States has led the charge in isolating their government, which has imposed the most draconian restrictions on women in the world. Biden administration officials stressed that the United States would not ease any sanctions until those restrictions were lifted.

But as the Taliban, led by an ultraconservative cleric, Sheikh Haibatullah Akhundzada, made clear that they would not bow to outside pressure, the United States became an outlier in its firm approach.

While no country officially recognizes the Taliban as the lawful authorities in Afghanistan, more countries in the region and in Europe have appeared to accept the limits of their influence and engage on issues on which they can find common ground.

“The Taliban has developed a proclivity to do transactional diplomacy, quid pro quo deals,” said Ibraheem Bahiss, an International Crisis Group consultant. The lifting of the U.S. bounties showed that the release of the American held in Afghanistan “was somehow reciprocated with some good will or that a transactional deal had been struck.”

It is also a notable change in American policy toward Sirajuddin Haqqani, an ambitious political operator who embraced suicide attacks like few other Taliban leaders and was responsible for the bloodiest attacks during the U.S.-led war.

In 2011, Mr. Haqqani’s men launched a 19-hour-long assault on the U.S. Embassy in Kabul. In 2017, his network was behind a truck bombing that killed more than 150 people, mostly civilians.

In January, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court requested arrest warrants for Sheikh Haibatullah and the country’s chief justice for their “unprecedented” persecution of women and girls.

“This is a victory for the engagement camp within the Taliban,” Mr. Bahiss said of the lifting of the bounties. More moderate figures “can go back to hard-liners and say this is the kind of reciprocity we can get for the compromises we are advocating for.”

A version of this article appears in print on March 26, 2025, Section A, Page 9 of the New York edition with the headline: U.S. Lifts Bounties on 3 Senior Taliban Officials

U.S. Lifts Millions in Bounties on Senior Taliban Officials
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US drops bounties on key Taliban leaders

Yogita Limaye
South Asia and Afghanistan Correspondent
BBC News
25 March 2025
Shutterstock Sirajuddin Haqqani addresses the audience from a podium covwered in white and red flowers.
Sirajuddin Haqqani addresses an audience in Kabul, Afghanistan, 19 August 2023.

The US has removed millions of dollars in bounties from senior members of the Haqqani militant network in Afghanistan, including one on its leader Sirajuddin Haqqani who is also the Taliban government’s interior minister.

It is a significant move given that the Haqqani network is accused of carrying out some of the most high-profile and deadly attacks in Afghanistan during the US-led war in the country, including attacks on the American and Indian embassies, and NATO forces.

Currently, the network is a key part of the Taliban government, which has controlled Afghanistan since foreign troops withdrew from the country in 2021, following a deal struck between the US and the Taliban during President Trump’s first term.

The move to lift the bounties comes weeks into President Trump’s second term, and just days after US officials met with the Taliban government in Kabul to secure the release of an American tourist, detained since 2022.

A US state department spokesperson confirmed to the BBC that “there is no current reward” for Sirajuddin Haqqani, his brother Abdul Aziz Haqqani and brother-in-law Yahya Haqqani, but they remain ‘Specially Designated Global Terrorists and the Haqqani Network remains designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization”.

An FBI webpage, which on Monday showed a $10 million dollar bounty on Sirajuddin Haqqani, has now been updated to remove the reward offer.

Taliban interior ministry spokesman Abdul Mateen Qani told the BBC that the lifting of bounties “was a result of continued diplomatic efforts” by his government. “It is a good step and this shows our new interaction with the world and particularly with the United States. They (the US delegation) told us they want to increase positive interaction and confidence building between us,” he added.

On Saturday, a US delegation including hostage envoy Adam Boehler and former envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad met with the Taliban government’s foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and other Taliban officials in Kabul. Afterwards, US national George Glezmann, detained in December 2022 while visiting Afghanistan as a tourist, was released by the Taliban government.

It is unclear if lifting the bounties was a part of the negotiations.

Founded by Sirajuddin Haqqani’s father, Jalaluddin Haqqani in the 1980s, the Haqqani network started out as a CIA-backed anti-Soviet outfit operating in Afghanistan and Pakistan. But it grew into one of the most feared anti-Western militant organisations in the region.

The group allied with the Taliban when they first took power in Afghanistan in 1996. Jalaluddin Haqqani died of a prolonged illness in 2018.

Currently, Sirajuddin Haqqani is emerging as a power centre in Afghanistan’s Taliban government, as rifts between him and the Taliban’s supreme leader Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada grow.

Members of the Taliban government have told the BBC that the issue of women’s education is a key point of disagreement between the two sides.

The Haqqanis have sought to project themselves as more moderate, galvanising support among people in the country who are frustrated by the supreme leader’s intransigence on women’s education.

The dropping of bounties by the US government is evidence that its stature is also growing externally, among parts of the international community keen to engage with the Taliban.

Additional reporting by Mahfouz Zubaide and Bernd Debusmann

US drops bounties on key Taliban leaders
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Teenage Afghan girls were banned from school – now these classes are their only option

Mahjooba Nowrouzi

BBC Afghan Service, Kabul

24 March 2025

Amina will never forget the moment her childhood changed. She was just 12 years old when she was told she could no longer go to school like boys.

The new school year began on Saturday in Afghanistan but for the fourth consecutive year, girls over 12 were barred from attending classes.

“All my dreams were shattered,” she says, her voice fragile and filled with emotion.

Amina, now 15, has always wanted to become a doctor. As a little girl, she suffered from a heart defect and underwent surgery. The surgeon who saved her life was a woman – an image that stayed with her and inspired her to take her studies seriously.

But in 2021, when the Taliban retook power in Afghanistan, Amina’s dream was abruptly put on hold.

“When my dad told me the schools were closed, I was really sad. It was a very bad feeling,” she says quietly. “I wanted to get an education so that I could become a doctor.”

The restrictions on education for teenage girls, imposed by the Taliban, has affected more than one million girls, according to Unicef, the UN’s children’s agency.

Now, madrassas – religious centres focused on Islamic teachings – have become the only way for many women and teenage girls to access education. However, those whose families can afford private tuition may still have access to subjects including maths, science and languages.

While the madrassas are seen by some as a way to offer young women access to some of the education they would have had in mainstream schools, others say they are no substitute and there are concerns of brainwashing.

I meet Amina in the dimly-lit basement of Al-Hadith madrassa in Kabul, a newly established private religious educational centre for around 280 female students of various ages.

The basement is cold, with cardboard walls and a sharp chill in the air. After chatting for about 10 minutes, our toes are already going numb.

Al-Hadith madrassa was founded a year ago by Amina’s brother, Hamid, who felt compelled to act after seeing the toll that the education ban had taken on her.

“When girls were denied education, my sister’s dream of becoming a heart surgeon was crushed, significantly affecting her wellbeing”, says Hamid, who is in his early thirties.

“Having the chance to go back to school, as well as learning midwifery and first aid, made her feel much better about her future,” he adds.

Afghanistan remains the only country where women and girls are banned from secondary and higher education.

The Taliban government originally suggested the prohibition would be temporary, pending the fulfilment of certain conditions, such as an “Islamic” curriculum. However, there has been no progress towards reopening schools for older girls in the years since.

In January 2025, a report by the Afghanistan Centre for Human Rights suggested that madrassas are being used to further the Taliban’s ideological goals.

The report alleges that “extremist content” has been integrated into their curriculum.

It says that textbooks advocated by the Taliban promote its political and military activities, and prohibited the mixing of men and women, as well as endorsing the enforced wearing of the hijab.

The Afghan Centre for Human Rights calls the ban on older girls attending school a “systematic and targeted violation” of their right to quality education.

Before the Taliban return, the number of registered madrassas is believed to have been around 5,000. They focus on religious education, which includes Quranic, Hadith, Sharia law, and Arabic language studies.

But since the restrictions on girls’ education were introduced some have expanded the teaching of subjects including chemistry, physics, mathematics, and geography, and languages like Dari, Pashto, and English.

Though a few madrassas tried to introduce midwifery and first aid training, the Taliban banned medical training for women in December last year.

Hamid said he was dedicated to providing an education which blends both religious and other academic subjects for secondary school-age girls.

“Socialising with others girls again made my sister much happier,” he told me with a smile, clearly proud of his sister’s resilience.

We visit another independently-run madrassa in Kabul.

The Shaikh Abdul Qadr Jilani madrassa educates more than 1,800 girls and women from the ages of five to 45. Classes are organised by student ability rather than age. We were able to visit under strict supervision.

Like Al-Hadath madrassa, it is freezing cold. The three-storey building has no heating, and some classrooms were missing doors and windows.

In one large room, two Quran classes and a sewing class are taking place simultaneously, as a group of girls wearing hijabs and black face masks sit cross-legged on the carpet.

The only heat source in the school is a small electric radiator in the second-floor office of the director, Mohammad Ibrahim Barakzai.

Mr Barakzai tells me that academic subjects are taught alongside religious ones.

But when I ask for evidence of that, staff search for a while before bringing out a few tattered maths and science textbooks.

Meanwhile, the classrooms are well stocked with religious texts.

This madrassa is divided into two sections: formal and informal.

The formal section covers subjects like languages, history, science, and Islamic studies. The informal section covers Quranic studies, Hadith, Islamic law, and practical skills like tailoring.

Notably, graduates from the informal section outnumber those from the formal section by 10 to one.

Hadiya, who is 20 years old, recently graduated from the madrassa after studying a broad range of subjects including maths, physics, chemistry, and geography.

She speaks passionately about chemistry and physics. “I love science. It’s all about matter and how these concepts relate to the world around me,” she says.

Hadiya now teaches the Quran at the madrassa, as she tells me there was not enough demand for her favourite subjects.

Safia, also 20, teaches the Pashto language at Al-Hadith madrassa. She passionately believes that girls in religious centres should enhance what she described as their personal development.

She focuses on Fiqh, the Islamic legal framework essential for daily Muslim practices.

“Fiqh is not included in mainstream schools or universities. As a Muslim woman, studying Fiqh is vital for women’s betterment,” she says.

“Understanding concepts such as ghusl – ablution – the distinctions in prostration between genders, and the prerequisites for prayer are crucial.”

However, she adds that madrassas “cannot serve as a substitute for mainstream schools and universities”.

“Educational institutions, including mainstream schools and universities, are absolutely essential for our society. The closure of these establishments would lead to a gradual decline in knowledge within Afghanistan,” she warns.

Tawqa, 13, is a quiet, reserved student who also studies at the Shaikh Abdul Qadr Jilani madrassa. From a devout family, she attends classes with her older sister.

“Religious subjects are my favourite,” she says. “I like learning about what kind of hijab a woman should wear, how she should treat her family, how to treat her brother and husband well and never be rude to them.”

“I want to become a religious missionary and share my faith with people around the world.”

The UN special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, Richard Bennett, has raised serious concerns about the Taliban’s restrictive “madrassa-style” education system.

He has emphasised the need to restore educational opportunities for girls beyond sixth grade and for women in higher education.

Mr Bennett warned that this limited education, combined with high unemployment and poverty, “could foster radical ideologies and increase the risk of homegrown terrorism, threatening regional and global stability”.

The Taliban Ministry of Education claims that around three million students in Afghanistan are enrolled in these religious educational centres.

It has promised to reopen girls’ schools under certain conditions, but this has yet to materialise.

Despite all the challenges Amina has faced – her health struggles and the education ban – she remains hopeful.

“I still believe that one day the Taliban will allow schools and universities to reopen,” she says with conviction. “And I will realise my dream of becoming a heart surgeon.”

Teenage Afghan girls were banned from school – now these classes are their only option
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OCHA Warns: Education ban overwhelms girls’ mental health in Afghanistan

 

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warns that the unbearable psychological pressure resulting from denying girls education in Afghanistan has reached critical levels. Experts note that such deprivation undermines the well-being and future prospects of young Afghans, exacerbating long-term social and economic instability.

OCHA released a report on Tuesday, March 25, which revealed that girls aged 13 to 17 in Afghanistan did not attend school in 2024 due to stringent educational restrictions. This exclusion not only denies them a fundamental right but also inflicts severe psychological and social harm.

In contrast, the report shows that 74 percent of boys in the same age group attended school last year. This significant discrepancy highlights the deep-rooted gender inequities in Afghanistan’s education system and underscores the urgent need for targeted interventions for girls.

OCHA has emphasized the critical importance of comprehensive psychosocial and social support services, particularly for young girls affected by the education ban. The agency urges both national and international stakeholders to implement programs that mitigate the adverse effects of prolonged educational deprivation.

Meanwhile, UNICEF has reported that 2.2 million girls have already been deprived of secondary education in Afghanistan, with projections estimating that this number could reach 4 million by 2030 if current restrictions continue. This trend poses a serious setback to the country’s overall educational and developmental progress.

In response to these alarming figures, international organizations and donor nations must prioritize educational initiatives and psychosocial support programs. Investing in such programs is essential not only for upholding human rights but also for securing Afghanistan’s future stability and prosperity.

Furthermore, global governments should intensify diplomatic pressure on Taliban authorities to lift educational restrictions and enforce policies that promote gender equality in education. Such coordinated efforts are vital to transforming Afghanistan’s educational landscape and empowering millions of young girls to realize their full potential.

OCHA Warns: Education ban overwhelms girls’ mental health in Afghanistan
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Sima Bahous: Afghan Girls Must Be Allowed Back in School

Stéphane Dujarric added that UNICEF has provided education access to more than 440,000 children in Afghanistan, 64 percent of whom are girls.

Sima Bahous, Executive Director of UN Women, has condemned the continued ban on education for girls above grade six in Afghanistan, calling it a violation of their right to education.

Bahous stressed that girls in Afghanistan must return to school and access their right to education.

She stated: “As a new school year begins in Afghanistan, the doors remain shut to thousands of girls—for the third year in a row. This violation of their right to education will haunt generations. Girls must return to school. Their fundamental rights must be restored—without delay.”

Beshta, a student, told TOLOnews: “Afghanistan’s progress depends on the education and advancement of both male and female populations—that means girls and boys. My request to the Islamic government is to reopen schools and universities for girls as soon as possible so we can build a cultured and advanced country.”

Meanwhile, Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, said in a press briefing that by 2030, over four million girls will be deprived of education in Afghanistan. According to him, Afghanistan cannot afford to leave half of its population behind under these restrictions.

He added that UNICEF has provided education access to more than 440,000 children in Afghanistan, 64 percent of whom are girls.

“UNICEF said Afghanistan cannot leave half of its population behind.  Despite the ban, UNICEF has provided access to education to some 445,000 children through community-based learning, 64 percent of whom are girls.  It is also empowering female teachers to ensure that girls have positive role models,” Dujarric said.

Salim Paigir, a political analyst, said: “We are still waiting for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan to create opportunities for Afghan girls to receive both primary and higher education.”

So far, the Islamic Emirate has not responded to the reactions surrounding the new academic year and the continued education ban on girls.

Sima Bahous: Afghan Girls Must Be Allowed Back in School
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NRC Suspends Part of Its Operations in Afghanistan Due to Funding Cuts

Aid reductions—especially from donor countries like the United States—have created serious challenges for many humanitarian agencies.

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) announced that, due to severe funding cuts, it has been forced to suspend part of its operations in Afghanistan and close several of its offices.

The organization said that the large-scale reduction in international aid is diminishing the presence of humanitarian organizations in Afghanistan, placing millions of lives in an increasingly dangerous situation.

“Like many humanitarian organisations, NRC Afghanistan has been forced to close offices in several provinces and lay off many dedicated and professional humanitarian staff, with a particularly adverse impact on female aid workers. These funding cuts have far-reaching consequences. They extend from communities that have lost access to basic assistance to thousands of experienced Afghan staff that have lost their livelihoods,” said Suze van Meegen, NRC’s interim country director in Afghanistan.

Aid reductions—especially from donor countries like the United States—have created serious challenges for many humanitarian agencies.

Economic experts also view the reduction in aid operations as harmful to Afghan citizens, particularly under current conditions. They stress that global support, especially from the United States, should continue in the humanitarian and development sectors.

Shamsur Rahman Ahmadzai, an economic analyst, said: “If the US announces a halt to its aid to Afghanistan, these rules and principles should apply globally. Assistance must continue in times of crisis, not just in Afghanistan but everywhere.”

Qutbuddin Yaqubi, another economic expert, said: “The suspension of aid from institutions working in Afghanistan, especially the Norwegian Refugee Council, could unfortunately have a negative impact—particularly now when the country is grappling with migration, economic challenges, and poverty.”

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Economy confirmed that the suspension of US aid has financially strained many aid agencies, which in turn has negatively affected citizens’ living conditions.

Abdul Rahman Habib, spokesperson for the Ministry of Economy, told TOLOnews: “The suspension of U.S. aid has created financial problems for a number of aid organizations. Humanitarian assistance during emergencies is meant to support those in need and must include food and hygiene provisions for disaster-affected individuals.”

Earlier, the Center for Global Development reported that 35% of all foreign aid to Afghanistan had been provided by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and the suspension of that aid could result in a 7% drop in Afghanistan’s economic growth.

NRC Suspends Part of Its Operations in Afghanistan Due to Funding Cuts
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Pakistan Urges Sustained Dialogue with the Islamic Emirate

Mohammad Sadiq has said that he agreed with Islamic Emirate officials to increase high-level dialogue to strengthen bilateral cooperation.

Following the three-day visit of Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Mohammad Sadiq to Kabul, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has emphasized the importance of sustained dialogue with Afghanistan’s caretaker government.

In a meeting organized by Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to review Afghanistan–Pakistan relations, Ishaq Dar said that strengthening bilateral relations with Afghanistan is essential to address Pakistan’s concerns.

“DPM emphasized the importance of sustained dialogue with the interim Afghan government to address Pakistan’s concerns and promote bilateral relations. Foreign Secretary and other senior officials of the Foreign Ministry also attended the meeting,” Pakistani Foreign Ministry said.

Zakiullah Mohammadi, a political analyst, said: “I believe the Islamic Emirate has repeatedly agreed to negotiations, but has been rejected by Pakistan. When talks fail, it ultimately leads to tension and conflict — and history shows that war harms both countries.”

Meanwhile, Mohammad Sadiq, Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, has said that during his visit to Kabul he agreed with Islamic Emirate officials to increase high-level dialogue to strengthen bilateral cooperation.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan wrote: “The Special Representative reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to continued engagement and mutually beneficial ties with Afghanistan, and underscored the importance of addressing all issues of concern, particularly security, to further consolidate bilateral ties.”

Moeen Gul Samkani, another political analyst, said: “Ishaq Dar’s statement about wanting high-level relations with Afghanistan is a positive and welcome stance. We should jointly pursue both political and economic issues.”

Pakistan’s call for greater high-level engagement with Afghanistan comes amid ongoing tensions — including repeated claims by Pakistan that Afghan soil is being used against it, the closure of the Torkham crossing, and Pakistani airstrikes in parts of Paktika province — all of which have cast a shadow over Kabul-Islamabad relations.

Pakistan Urges Sustained Dialogue with the Islamic Emirate
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WHO: Tuberculosis Increased by 3.3% in Afghanistan in 2024

Deputy minister for health services, called on international organizations to assist Afghanistan’s health sector in the fight against TB.

March 24 marks World Tuberculosis Day. The World Health Organization (WHO) in Afghanistan has reported a 3.3% increase in tuberculosis cases in 2024 compared to 2023.

Edwin Ceniza Salvador, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Representative in Afghanistan, assured cooperation with the health sector, particularly in the fight against tuberculosis.

He stated: “In 2024, a total of 51,300 cases of TB were reported in Afghanistan, representing a 3.3% increase from the 49,000 cases reported in 2023.What this highlights is that there are ongoing challenges in TB for us in the country and it continues to grapple with the high incidence and mortality rates.”

Stephen Rodriques, representative of the UNDP in Afghanistan, said: “Since 2024 February of last year, we have screened over 335,000 Afghans who have returned from Iran and Pakistan, and this approach prevents treatment disruptions and strengthens patient support.”

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Public Health shared updated data during a ceremony on World Tuberculosis Day (Monday), stating that more than 51,000 TB cases were recorded in the country last year.

Abdulwali Haqqani, deputy minister for health services, called on international organizations to assist Afghanistan’s health sector in the fight against TB.

He said: “51,319 cases were identified and treated. Intensive efforts are needed for the detection and treatment of tuberculosis.”

Ali Mohammad Amin, head of the national TB program, stated that due to reduced funding from international donors, the program is unable to implement its services in accordance with its strategic plan.

According to WHO statistics, in 2023 nearly 10.8 million people worldwide were infected with tuberculosis. Of these, 6 million were men, 3.6 million were women, and 1.3 million were children.

This year’s World TB Day was observed under the theme: “Yes! We Can End TB: Commit, Invest, Deliver, is a bold call for hope, urgency, and accountability.”

WHO: Tuberculosis Increased by 3.3% in Afghanistan in 2024
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EU: Education is key to Afghanistan’s prosperity and resilience

By Fidel Rahmati
Khaama Press

In response to the ongoing ban on girls’ education in the country, the European Union has emphasized the importance of education for all segments of society, stating that it is the key to the resilience and long-term prosperity of the nation.

As the new academic year begins, the European Union’s mission in Afghanistan has reiterated that educational equality is essential for the country’s sustainable development. The EU has expressed its support for the right to education for Afghan girls, emphasizing that educated women play a crucial role in building a powerful, stable, and self-sufficient Afghanistan.

Simultaneously, as the new academic year began on March 21, the Taliban’s ban on girls’ education entered its fourth year. During the school reopening ceremony in Kabul, there was no mention of reopening girls’ schools. This ongoing restriction continues to hinder Afghan girls’ access to education.

Since the Taliban came to power in August 2021, one of their first actions was to impose a ban on education for girls beyond the 6th grade. This decision effectively blocked access to secondary education for millions of Afghan girls, leaving them without the opportunity to continue their studies. The ban sparked widespread protests from both within Afghanistan and across the international community, as it not only violated the rights of young girls but also undermined Afghanistan’s long-term development prospects.

In addition to the restrictions on secondary education, the Taliban has also closed universities and recently medical institutions to female students. Recent reports indicate that female students have been barred from attending university classes, with many women in medical fields being unable to continue their education or pursue careers in healthcare. This exclusion from higher education has significant consequences for Afghanistan’s future, as it stifles the potential of half of the population, hindering both social and economic progress.

Earlier, UNESCO reported that the Taliban’s restrictive policies have blocked access to education for 1.5 million Afghan girls. The organization expressed deep concern, warning that if these limitations persist, over 4 million girls could be deprived of education by 2030.

Several international organizations have condemned the continued ban on girls’ education, urging the Taliban to reopen schools and universities to women and girls. Human Rights Watch and the UN Special Rapporteur for Afghanistan both called for accountability from the Taliban for their actions.

Amnesty International has also urged the Taliban to end their discriminatory programs against Afghan women and girls. However, the Taliban dismisses global criticism, considering girls’ education a “domestic issue” and claiming to uphold women’s rights under their interpretation of Islamic Sharia law.

The Taliban’s persistent refusal to allow girls’ education has drawn widespread international condemnation. The EU and various global organizations continue to advocate for Afghan girls’ right to education, stressing its critical role in the nation’s future prosperity. The ongoing situation highlights a significant challenge for Afghanistan’s development and international relations.

EU: Education is key to Afghanistan’s prosperity and resilience
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