Afghanistan

Afghanistan is at a crossroads and the de facto authorities, the Taliban, must pursue a path towards stability and freedom for all citizens, especially women, the UN independent expert on human rights there said in the capital, Kabul, on Thursday. Special Rapporteur Richard Bennett was speaking to journalists at the end of an 11-day visit to the country.

The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction released an interim report titled, “Collapse of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces: An Assessment of the Factors That Led to Its Demise.”

Scores of civilians have fled fighting in Afghanistan’s Panjshir Valley after an insurgent group launched an offensive against Taliban forces, residents said Saturday.

Taliban authorities in Afghanistan dissolved five key departments of the former U.S.-backed government, including the country's Human Rights Commission, deeming them unnecessary in the face of a financial crunch, an official said on Monday.

The upcoming harvest is expected to bring some relief to Afghanistan’s dwindling food stocks. But World Food Program Deputy Regional Director for Asia, Anthea Webb warns this relief is expected to be short-lived.

The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) issued a statement of deep concern on Saturday in response to an announcement made by the Taliban de facto authorities saying that women should only leave their homes in cases of necessity and then, with their faces covered in public.

The supreme leader of the Taliban, Haibatullah Akhunzada, has called on the international community to recognise the “Islamic Emirate” of Afghanistan in a message ahead of Eid holidays without touching on the issue of girls’ education.

With the onset of the “fighting season” in Afghanistan, small pockets of anti-Taliban resistance appear to be forming across much of the country.

The Pakistani military has not commented on the attacks, but on Sunday the foreign ministry in Islamabad urged the Taliban authorities in Kabul to take “stern actions” against armed fighters launching attacks against Pakistan from Afghan soil.

The Taliban prohibition on girls' education shows the movement's ultra-conservatives retain tight control of the Islamist group and exposes a power struggle that puts at risk crucial aid for Afghanistan's desperate population, experts say. The ban has triggered international outrage and even left many in the Taliban movement baffled by the decision.