Afghanistan

Afghan residents sit at a damaged house after an earthquake in a village in Herat province on Saturday.

World News

Hundreds are feared dead after powerful earthquakes hit Afghanistan

4:20pm October 07, 2023

by Diaa Hadid

Images shared by Afghan journalists showed at least one village reduced to rubble after a series of quakes flattened stone and mudbrick homes in the country's west.

Marine recruits wait for their drill instructor as they cross the base at Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island on August 22 in Beaufort County, S.C.

For a new generation of Marines, 9/11 is history

5:00am September 10, 2023

For many Americans, 9/11 is now simply a date to mark, much like December 7th and the Pearl Harbor attacks. Even the military war colleges are moving on.

Matiullah Wesa, cofounder of the education charity PenPath in Afghanistan, speaks to children during a class next to his mobile library in a district of Kandahar Province. Wesa and his brother were among the Afghan men who have called for the Taliban to reverse its bans on higher education for girls. He was arrested in March and has been held in prison since then with no formal charges.

He demanded higher ed for Afghan girls. He was jailed. Angelina Jolie targets his case

12:23pm August 21, 2023

by Ruchi Kumar

It's been 5 months since Matiullah Wesa, an activist who urged an end to Taliban bans on girls' education, was arrested. Media attention has faded. Now Angelina Jolie is making a plea in his behalf.

In 2022, a man in Kabul covered his face to protect his identity, as he showed his harmonium musical instrument. The Taliban have begun to burn these instruments, and others.

Opinion: The Taliban is cracking down on music, and joy

9:30am August 12, 2023

by Scott Simon

NPR's Scott Simon reflects on two years since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan, including the recent burning of musical instruments and equipment.

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The special Afghan unit would deploy with U.S. troops and speak with women and children.

They fought alongside the U.S. — now this female Afghan military platoon is in limbo

4:28pm August 01, 2023

by Kai McNamee

After the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, members of the Female Tactical Platoon came to America under a temporary humanitarian program. Many are now in immigration limbo.

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World News

Heavy flooding in Afghanistan has killed at least 12 people and left dozens missing

5:31am July 23, 2023

by The Associated Press

Government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said Sunday that around 40 people are missing after the flash flooding late Saturday night in the Jalrez district of Maidan Wardak province, west of Kabul.

An Afghan beautician applies makeup to a client at a beauty salon in Mazar-i-Sharif.

Health & Safety

'I am crying at my salon': Taliban orders Kabul beauty parlors to shut down

9:54am July 14, 2023

All beauty salons in Kabul must close by the end of July. These businesses are one of the few places where women can work and congregate under the Taliban regime.

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A woman walks past beauty salons with window decorations that have been defaced in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Sept. 12, 2021.

World News

The Taliban say they are outlawing women's beauty salons in Afghanistan

4:09am July 05, 2023

by The Associated Press

The announcement is the latest curb on the rights and freedoms of Afghan women and girls, following edicts barring them from education, public spaces and most forms of employment.

Afghan women wait for a free bread. Charities allege that the Taliban interferes with their distribution of aid by pressuring them to funnel money to the Taliban and its supporters.

Health & Safety

Charities say Taliban intimidation diverts aid to Taliban members and causes

8:34am June 23, 2023

by Ruchi Kumar

Aid workers in Afghanistan claim the Taliban is using threats and violence to control the way aid is distributed at a time when aid is more critical than ever.

A woman walks between tents that house the hospital wards at a camp for displaced persons in South Sudan. The photo was taken in February.

Health & Safety

Remembering David Gilkey: His NPR buddies share stories about their favorite pictures

3:18pm June 05, 2023

by NPR Staff

It is the 7th anniversary of the death of NPR photographer David GIlkey, who was killed by a grenade attack while on assignment in Afghanistan. His colleagues talk about his life and work.