Azadi Briefing

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 Taliban has intensified its war with the rival Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K) extremist group, killing several senior leaders and commanders in recent months.

Among them, according to the United States, was the alleged mastermind of a suicide bombing outside Kabul airport in 2021 that killed some 170 Afghans and 13 American soldiers.

The White House on April 26 announced that the alleged mastermind, whose identity has not been revealed, was killed in a recent Taliban operation. But it did not say when or where he was killed.

The Taliban has not commented on the reported death of the IS-K member.

Why It's Important: The Taliban has waged a brutal war to eliminate IS-K, the biggest threat to its rule in Afghanistan. The Taliban appears to have weakened the group, whose attacks have waned in recent months.

But the Taliban also appears to be trying to use its campaign against IS-K to burnish its counterterrorism credentials and boost its legitimacy in the eyes of the international community.

Under the U.S.-Taliban deal signed in 2020, the militants pledged to prevent any group from using Afghan soil to attack other countries.

The international community, particularly Afghanistan’s neighbors, considers IS-K a significant security threat because of the group’s global ambitions.

What's Next: Despite its efforts to eliminate IS-K, the Taliban is believed to be sheltering members of Al-Qaeda and the Pakistani Taliban. That is likely to temper hopes that the Taliban can be a reliable counterterrorism partner.

On April 14, the foreign ministers of China, Russia, Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan said the Taliban has links with some extremist groups based in Afghanistan that “pose a serious threat to regional and global security.”

They include the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement, the Baloch Liberation Army, Jundallah, Jaish al-Adl, Jamaat Ansarullah, and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan.

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A growing number of teenage Afghan girls, who are banned from attending school, are turning to Taliban-run madrasahs to get an education. The Taliban has allowed girls of all ages to attend Islamic seminaries, which have surged in number since the hard-line Islamist group seized power in 2021.

Afghans are defying a ban on using Iranian rials or Pakistani rupees, as their economy struggles following the Taliban takeover. In Zaranj, Nimroz Province, the Iranian rial is the most common currency. Elsewhere in Afghanistan, Pakistani rupees are widely used.

What To Keep An Eye On

The United Nations will hold a closed-door meeting on May 1-2 that will bring together envoys to Afghanistan from various countries.

Ahead of the meeting in Doha, Amina Mohammed, the UN deputy secretary-general, sparked controversy after she said the participants would discuss the possible recognition of the Taliban.

Many Afghans vented their anger at Mohammed’s comments. Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch called for “a firm line that only a reversal of the Taliban’s oppressive policies will open the door to further engagement.”

In an open letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Amnesty International and other rights groups demanded that the world body ensure that Afghan women’s “full, equal, and meaningful participation is central to the international community’s next steps.”

Why It's Important: The meeting will be crucial in crafting a united response to the Taliban’s repressive policies, including its ban on Afghan women working for the UN and foreign NGOs.

It remains unclear if the international community can pressure the Taliban to rescind its restrictions on Afghan women or whether the world body will decide to leave Afghanistan.

In a sign that the UN is likely to take a firm stand, the UN Security Council on April 27 unanimously condemned the Taliban’s ban on Afghan women working for the world body, calling it “unprecedented in the history of the United Nations.”

That's all from me this week.

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.

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.

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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.