Stories from Afghanistan and India
It is a warm spring afternoon in Herat Province in western Afghanistan. The winter was unseasonably short, and Mohammad Salehi is concerned that might have affected the sun-loving crops. Salehi closely inspects each deep-orange strand in the palm of his hand. […]
A fire caused hundreds of fuel tankers to explode at the Afghanistan-Iran border on Saturday, injuring 17 people and damaging trade and humanitarian services in the western Afghan province of Herat. The blaze broke out in the early afternoon at […]
Every morning Marzia Akbari, a 25-year-old psychologist from the western Afghan city of Herat, wakes up, picks up her phone and starts calling women. Most calls go unanswered. Since Herat was put in lockdown two weeks ago, Akbari’s work as […]
ON MARCH 13, 50-year-old Sayeed Karim attended Friday prayers at his mosque in Mangalha, a remote village in Baghlan Province in northern Afghanistan. While there, he and his neighbors were presented with a unique public information session issued by local Taliban […]
Herat, Afghanistan – The narrow road that leads to the Yu Aw synagogue in the ancient city of Herat in western Afghanistan is lined with traditional mud homes that, despite their rough exterior, are fine examples of centuries-old architectural dexterity. Ghulam Sakhi, the […]
It had been more than three decades since 48-year-old Zahra, who asked to be identified only by her first name, left Afghanistan with her husband to escape the increasing violence that would plague her country for many years to come. […]
As the people of the ancient western Afghan city of Herat settle in for a cold December evening, the residents of a relatively new tent settlement brace themselves for a harsh night nearby. “We own nothing, except the two tents […]
Bilal Mohammadi sits protectively close to his younger brother Abdul in a large crowded hall filled with loud chatter from hundreds of Afghans surrounding them. Most of the surrounding crowd at the refugee reception centre at Zero Point on the […]
In just the last two weeks, 29 Afghan civilians are estimated to have lost theirs lives to U.S. air strikes, a substantial spike since U.S. President Donald Trump announced his strategy for Afghanistan.
The self-immolation cases seen at the country’s only burns unit are a symptom of a bigger problem in the country, where violence against women is rife