Stories from Afghanistan and India
In a matter of hours, Sara’s perfect teenage life turned upside down on August 15 as the Taliban marched into her city and took control of Afghanistan. “I knew things were bad, but I didn’t imagine that my Kabul would fall […]
It has taken only three days to completely transform the lives of women in Kabul. The mere act of stepping out of their homes has become an almost insurmountable challenge, they told The National. Since the Taliban captured the Afghan capital on Sunday, […]
Thirty-nine-year old Gulpari was forced to make some hard decisions when the Taliban was closing in on her village in the north of Afghanistan six weeks ago. Recalling the terrifying nights her family spent fearing for their lives, she said […]
As the Taliban and government battle for control of Afghanistan, residents of areas seized recently by the insurgents are already experiencing life under the repressive regime toppled two decades ago. Emboldened by the withdrawal of US and Nato troops, the Taliban launched […]
Gul Meena Hotak was on her regular rounds, going door-to-door giving polio vaccinations in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad, when she heard gunshots. The 22-year-old’s immediate concern was for the safety of her friend Negina and other colleagues nearby. […]
Across the world 800 million children are still not fully back in school, Unicef is warning, with many at risk of never returning to the classroom the longer closures go on. There are at least 90 countries where schools are […]
Last year, at only 21 years, Sofiea Sakhi Karimi was forced to retire from her brief but celebrated career in the Afghan media owing to growing threats and violence against media workers in her country. “Working in Afghanistan as a […]
Lanny Cordola arrived in Afghanistan in 2016 with nothing but a few belongings, his guitar and a determination to make a difference in the lives of the Afghan children affected by the war. As well as being a well-known musician from […]
In the latest of a wave of assassinations that has gripped Afghanistan, two female judges were killed on Sunday by gunmen in central Kabul as they headed to work. Identified as Zakia Herawi and Qadria Yasini by family members, the […]
It was just after 7am when the car carrying Colonel Saba Sahar, one of Afghanistan’s most senior female police officers, came under fire from armed insurgents. In the back seat, Sahar’s four-year-old daughter began screaming as bullets shattered the windscreen […]