Azadi Briefing

Welcome to Gandhara's weekly newsletter. This briefing brings you the best of our reporting from Afghanistan and Pakistan.

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This week's Gandhara Briefing brings you our reporting on the two best friends killed in the bombing of a Kabul education center and the Taliban forcing students and teachers to sign pledges to follow its interpretation of Islamic Shari'a law.

Afghan Best Friends United In Death

Radio Azadi interviewed the families of cousins and best friends Marzia and Hajar Mohammadi. The 18-year-olds were among the nearly 60 girls and women killed after a suicide bomber struck an education center in Kabul on September 30.

"They were so attached that they spent 12 out of every 24 hours together," said Maryam Mohammadi, Marzia's mother.

"Both were eager to meet their two favorite writers," Marzia's uncle, Abdul Zahir Mudaqiq, said of their dream to meet Turkish-British novelist Elif Shafak and American writer Rachel Hollis.

Despite the tragedy, Hajar's mother, Aziza Mohammadi, said she is determined to educate her three remaining children.

Many victims of the bombing were from the Shi’ite Hazara community, including Marzia and Hajar.

Maryam Mohammadi called on the Taliban to protect the beleaguered community, which has faced incessant attacks from the Islamic State-Khorasan extremist group.

"I don't want my other children to end up like Marzia," she said.

Taliban's Forced Shari'a Pledges

Omid Zahirmal reports on the Taliban ordering male teachers and students in Kandahar to sign pledges that they will adhere to the militant group’s extremist interpretation of Islamic Shari'a law.

"I…son of...promise that I will follow the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad and all the principles of Shari'a law," reads the one-page document.

The pledge includes following the Taliban's strict dress code for men, including growing a beard, wearing a turban or Islamic cap, and donning the pirhan tumban, the traditional baggy shirt and pants common in rural Afghanistan.

It is the latest attempt by the Taliban to police the appearances of Afghans in public.

This week, Taliban leader Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada said that clerics were reviewing all of Afghanistan's laws as the group looked to implement a "pure" Islamic system in the country.

Addicts Storm Herat's Streets

Radio Azadi reports on the rapid rise in the number of drug addicts living on the streets of Herat.

The Taliban has taken an extremely hard line in tackling Afghanistan’s massive drug problem, rounding up addicts and locking them up for months as a form of treatment. But the approach has proved ineffective, and some addicts have relapsed.

"Everyone beats us or pelts us with stones," said Zmarai, one of the hundreds of addicts who live on the city’s streets and in parks. "We have no one, and the government must do something for us."

Mohammad Saeed, a physician who heads a drug-treatment center in Herat, says the lack of resources has severely dented their capacity to treat addicts.

"We are not able to offer the complex treatment these addicts require," he said.

Freezing Winter In Ghor

In Ghor, residents are concerned about how they will survive the upcoming winter without adequate fuel and food

The prices of coal and essential food items such as wheat and oil have skyrocketed.

"The price of coal is already out of our reach, similar to that of essential food items," said Ismail. The 45-year-old is responsible for taking care of his 14-member extended family.

"I often have sleepless nights thinking about what we will do this year," said Sarwar, 35, a day laborer.

That's all from me this week.

If you haven't subscribed yet, you can do so here. I encourage you to visit our website and follow us on Twitter and Facebook..

You can always reach us at gandhara@rferl.org.

Welcome to Gandhara's weekly newsletter. This briefing brings you the best of our reporting from Afghanistan and Pakistan.

If you're new to the newsletter or haven't subscribed yet, you can do so here.

This week's Gandhara Briefing brings you insights into Afghan women protesting Taliban rule, the militants' trade deal with Russia, and the Taliban's unenforced ban on poppy cultivation.

Afghan Women Protest

I write about Afghan women staging some of the largest and most sustained protests against Taliban rule following a deadly attack on an education center in Kabul that killed dozens of women and girls.

Afghan women demonstrated in major cities, demanding that the Taliban lift restrictions imposed on women and provide security to minorities. In many places, the militants responded with brute force.

"The Taliban grabbed the girls and dragged and beat them with the butts of their guns," Nahid, a female protester in Herat, told us. "I still have bruises on my back from the beating I endured."

Heather Barr, associate director of the women's rights division at Human Rights Watch, says despite the "extremely frightening" risks, Afghan women have "nothing left to lose."

Taliban's Trade Deal With Russia

Michael Scollon reports on the Taliban's trade deal with Russia, which along with Iran and Pakistan is one of the few countries willing to do business with the hard-line group.

Under the deal, Moscow will export fuel and wheat to Afghanistan. It is unclear what Moscow will get in return from the cash-strapped Taliban government.

The agreement could pave the way for Russia to eventually invest in Afghanistan's vast mineral wealth, analysts say.

"This is the beginning of something," said Narendra Taneja, an Indian economist tracking the energy industry. "This something may grow into bigger things, such as mining of rare minerals in Afghanistan, or maybe mining of natural gas."

Taneja views Moscow's wheat shipments to Afghanistan as a positive development.

"The people are not Taliban, the rulers are Taliban," he noted. "And the people are starving. So, they should be helped by every country."

Pubescent Girls Expelled In Kandahar

Radio Azadi reports on the Taliban expelling hundreds of pubescent girls from primary schools in Kandahar Province.

The expulsions are part of the Taliban's enforcement of its ban on girls who are 13 or over from attending school.

The Taliban's ban has contributed to more than 3 million Afghan girls not getting an education.

"I'm not alone," said Razia, 14, who was expelled from a school in Kandahar because she was "too old" to study. "Many girls my age have been forced out of school."

The Taliban's restriction on girls' education has attracted protests across the county during the past year.

"All Afghans support education," said Ahmad Shah Spar, an activist in Kandahar. "This has been proved by the protests and the campaigning of thousands of women and men."

Taliban Forcing Students To Grow Beards

Radio Azadi reports on the Taliban forcing male students in grade 9 and above to grow beards, cover their heads, and refrain from trendy haircuts in Kandahar.

Male students must sign a pledge stating that they will dress in line with the Taliban's extremist interpretation of Islamic Shari'a law.

The move is part of a broader Taliban effort to control how Afghans appear in public.

"This is an irrational step and must be discouraged strongly," said a student in Kandahar. "I want the Taliban to stop curbing our freedoms."

Taliban's Poppy 'Ban'

Radio Azadi reports that the Taliban is not enforcing its blanket ban on narcotics, often turning a blind eye to poppy cultivation.

Farmers in southern Afghanistan have opposed the April ban because the Taliban government has failed to provide alternative livelihoods to them.

"No one has told us anything about not planting poppies," said Abdul Qayyum, a farmer in Kandahar's Maiwand district who recently planted poppies. "I support the ban on poppy cultivation if we get some aid to enable us to buy food and medicines for our families."

Naqibullah, a farmer in Uruzgan, says that he heard about the ban on poppy cultivation. But he says it is not being enforced on the ground.

"We need help with planting alternative crops," he said. "If I don't plant poppies, I will get nothing."

That's all from me this week.

If you haven't subscribed yet, you can do so here. I encourage you to visit our website and follow us on Twitter and Facebook..

You can always reach us at gandhara@rferl.org.