Azadi Briefing

Welcome back to The Azadi Briefing, an RFE/RL newsletter that unpacks the key issues in Afghanistan. To subscribe, click here.

I'm Mustafa Sarwar, a senior news editor at RFE/RL's Radio Azadi. Here's what I've been tracking and what I'm keeping an eye on in the days ahead.

The Key Issue

The Taliban has closed all education centers in the southern provinces of Kandahar and Helmand that were funded by foreign NGOs.

The hundreds of education centers, mostly funded by UNICEF, the United Nations children's agency, and Save The Children, provided literacy classes to tens of thousands of girls and boys in remote areas that lack government schools.

Wakil Ahmad Mutawakil, a spokesman for the Kandahar educational department, told Radio Azadi that the activities of the education centers had been suspended until further notice. He said the decision was made after “complaints from locals,” without elaborating.

Why It's Important: The decision is the latest blow to education in Afghanistan, where the Taliban has banned girls above the sixth grade from attending school and women from studying in universities.

The militant group has also tried to root out all forms of secular education and converted scores of secular schools, universities, and training centers into madrasahs, or Islamic seminaries.

Munir Ahmad, a resident of Kandahar, told Radio Azadi that he is "very concerned" about the Taliban’s decision. "This is not good news for us because most classes were in areas where children have no [other] access to education," he said.

The Taliban’s move appears to be the latest salvo in its standoff with foreign NGOs. The Taliban has imposed restrictions on the UN and other international organizations, including banning them from employing Afghan women.

What's Next: There are fears that the closure of foreign-funded education centers in southern Afghanistan, the birthplace and political base of the Taliban, could be extended nationwide.

If that occurs, hundreds of thousands of children will join the already estimated 3 million school-aged girls who are unable to receive an education.

The Week's Best Stories

The sidewalks outside bakeries in the Afghan capital, Kabul, are packed with desperate mothers and children hoping for a bite to eat. The Taliban has banned women and girls from many jobs, secondary schools, and universities since returning to power in August 2021, triggering an economic crisis, according to the UN.

Kandahar, the country’s second-largest city, appears to be becoming the de facto capital under the militant group’s rule. Several officials have recently been transferred from Kabul to Kandahar. Taliban Supreme Leader Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada lives in the city and rarely leaves the Pashtun heartland in southern Afghanistan.

What To Keep An Eye On

The UN has threatened to leave Afghanistan as soon as next month if the Taliban does not reverse its ban on Afghan women working for the world body.

Achim Steiner, the administrator of the United Nations Development Program, said on April 18 that the “entire United Nations system” is taking “a step back and reevaluating its ability to operate” in Afghanistan. He said the UN would not negotiate its “fundamental principles.”

Taliban chief spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said on April 12 that the group does not want to create "obstacles for the United Nations," but added that the ban on Afghan women working for the organization was "an internal issue of Afghanistan."

But the UN has said the around 600 Afghan women it employs are vital in delivering life-saving aid to Afghans and warned that the Taliban would bear responsibility for the humanitarian consequences.

Why It's Important: The UN’s exit from Afghanistan would have disastrous consequences and aggravate the already dire humanitarian crisis in the country. UN agencies provide critical assistance in the fields of health, education, and food security.

The UN on April 18 announced that an estimated 34 million Afghans -- out of a population of 40 million -- were living below the poverty line. The figure is a huge increase of 15 million since 2020, when the Western-backed Afghan government was still in power.

That's all from me for now. Don't forget to send me any questions, comments, or tips that you have.

Until next time,

Mustafa Sarwar

If you enjoyed this briefing and don't want to miss the next edition, subscribe here. It will be sent to your inbox every Friday.

Welcome to The Azadi Briefing, an RFE/RL newsletter that unpacks the key issues in Afghanistan. To subscribe, click here.

I'm Abubakar Siddique, a senior correspondent at RFE/RL's Radio Azadi. Here's what I've been tracking and what I'm keeping an eye on in the days ahead.

The Key Issue

The United Nations has announced that it is reviewing its operations in Afghanistan, and told all staff to remain at home, after the Taliban banned Afghan women from working for the world body.

The hundreds of Afghan women employed by the UN are critical in delivering life-saving aid in Afghanistan, where millions are at risk of starvation.

In its statement on April 11, the UN said the Taliban’s ban has forced it to make an "appalling choice between staying and delivering in support of the Afghan people and standing by the norms and principles we are duty-bound to uphold."

The UN added that “any negative consequences of this crisis for the Afghan people” is the responsibility of the Taliban.

In response, chief Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid called the ban an “internal issue” and blamed the devastating humanitarian crisis on international “sanctions and pressure.”

“Considering the emergency situation in Afghanistan, it is necessary for the member countries of the United Nations to resolve the problem of frozen Afghan assets, banking, travel bans, and other restrictions as soon as possible so that Afghanistan can progress in economic, political and security areas,” he said.

Why It's Important: The Taliban appears to be using the issue of women’s rights as a bargaining chip to gain concessions from the international community.

When the Taliban seized power in 2021, foreign governments immediately cut development funding to Afghanistan and imposed tough sanctions on the new government.

Since then, the Taliban’s repression of women, including severe restrictions on female education and employment, has further isolated its government. The militant group remains unrecognized by any country.

In December, the Taliban banned Afghan women from working for local and foreign NGOs, a move that disrupted critical assistance to millions of Afghans. On April 4, the Taliban expanded the ban to include the UN, further interrupting aid.

What's Next: The Taliban seems to be gambling with the lives of over 28 million people, or two-thirds of the population, who need life-saving assistance to survive.

The UN has suggested that it could suspend its operations in Afghanistan if the Taliban maintains its ban, a move that is likely to have disastrous consequences.

The Taliban’s ban also appears to have contributed to international donors, mostly Western nations, already reducing funding to aid organizations.

The UN’s World Food Program (WFP) has warned that it will have to cut assistance to 9 million people in Afghanistan if it does not immediately receive additional funding.

The Week's Best Stories

In the latest instance of extreme restrictions on leisure activities in Afghanistan, Taliban authorities have closed video-game parlors and shops selling foreign movies, TV shows, and music in the western Afghan city of Herat. The group had earlier closed sheesha cafes and restaurants run by women in the city.

The Taliban has not been recognized by any country since forcibly seizing power in Afghanistan. But the militant group has tried to boost its legitimacy by gaining control of Afghan diplomatic missions abroad. Many Afghan embassies and consulates around the world are still run by diplomats appointed by the previous Western-backed government in Kabul.

What To Keep An Eye On

Deadly clashes erupted between Taliban fighters and members of the Afghanistan Freedom Front (AFF), an armed resistance group, in the northern province of Parwan this week.

The Taliban claimed to have killed eight AFF fighters, including two commanders, Basir Andrabi and Akmal Amiri. The AFF has not confirmed the death of Amiri.

In a statement on April 13, the AFF alleged that the Taliban had launched a crackdown in the capital, Kabul, and the provinces of Parwan, Panjshir, and Kapisa against civilians suspected of having ties with the resistance group. The AFF also alleged that the Taliban prevented people from attending the funerals of the slain fighters.

Local sources told Radio Azadi that the Taliban had raided dozens of houses.

Why It's Important: A handful of small armed groups, mostly comprised of members of Afghanistan’s former armed forces, have opposed Taliban rule in different regions of the country. But they remain weak and have no sanctuary or outside help, experts have said.

The Taliban has been accused of using brute force to quell the groups, including the alleged killing and torture of resistance fighters and the detention and beating of civilians.

The Taliban’s hard-line government has led to the emergence of new resistance groups, including the AFF. The Taliban has refused to share power or grant fundamental rights to citizens. And with the militant group stamping out any kind of dissent, there appears to be little room for peaceful opposition to its rule.

That's all from me for now. Don't forget to send me any questions, comments, or tips that you have. You can always reach us at azadi.english@rferl.org.

Until next time,

Abubakar Siddique

If you enjoyed this briefing and don't want to miss the next edition, subscribe here. It will be sent to your inbox every Friday.