UN Mission to Afghanistan Reports Further Restrictions on Women
The United Nations (UN) mission published its report for the first quarter of 2025, which highlighted several examples of tightening restrictions on women’s rights, such as the closure of beauty salons and radio stations, as well as stricter reporting on unaccompanied women at shops and hospitals; the report also elucidated cases of forced religious conversions, including Ismaili men who were threatened with violence to convert to Sunni Islam (UN)
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Travels to Kabul in First Visit Since 2022
Discussions between Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Afghan Taliban officials largely centered around forced repatriations of Afghan migrants and refugees from Pakistan, which prompted a statement from Taliban foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, who called on Islamabad to avoid rights violations of Afghans in Pakistan (Reuters)
Russia Delists Taliban as Terrorist Organization
Moscow removed the Afghan Taliban from a list of banned terrorist groups after two decades, stating that Russia hopes for “mutually beneficial ties with Afghanistan in all areas,” including trade and “the fight against drugs and terrorism” (Reuters)
United Nations: Nearly 60,000 Afghans Deported by Pakistan in April
The United Nations International Organization for Migration (IOM) recorded the rise in deportations as the Pakistani government continues its three-phase operation to ultimately deport up to three million Afghan refugees and migrants from the country (Al Jazeera)
Designations Protecting Thousands of Afghans in the United States From Deportation Will End in May
The special status is designed to prevent the return of migrants to places facing conflict or natural disaster (Reuters)
Some Afghans who acted as allies to the U.S. war effort in Afghanistan but have still not been approved for immigrant visas to the United States will be affected by the measure, the nonprofit No One Left Behind said (NPR)
Internal Divide Among Taliban Leadership Grows Over Girls’ Schooling Ban
Three anonymous Taliban officials spoke with NBC News, expressing their disagreement with the leadership’s decision to prohibit girls from secondary education in Afghanistan; the first instance of a public dispute within the Taliban’s ranks came in January when Deputy Foreign Minister Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai stated that the ban on girls’ education was unjust, which prompted him to flee Afghanistan (NBC)
Pakistan to Move Forward With Mass Deportations of Afghan Refugees This Year
Pakistan stated that three million Afghan refugees remain in the country, while close to eight hundred and fifty thousand have returned to Afghanistan over the past eighteen months; Islamabad had ordered all undocumented Afghan refugees to leave by March 31 and plans to carry out deportations and arrests after April 10 (AP)
Taliban Releases U.S. Woman
Afghanistan’s Taliban government freed Faye Hall from detention, according to a post by former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad (NYT)
Hall was arrested in February, the Guardian reported (Guardian)
Pakistan’s Special Envoy for Afghanistan Carries Out Three-Day Visit to Kabul
The thaw in ties, in which both sides pledged to increase high-level dialogue, comes after the recent reopening of the countries’ main border crossing (Dawn)
The delegations discussed the situation of Afghan refugees in Pakistan—which is carrying out a deportation drive—and the status of the Pakistani Taliban (Express Tribune)
During the visit, Pakistan’s army said it thwarted an “attempt to infiltrate” its troops on the Afghan border and killed sixteen militants (Reuters)
Taliban Releases U.S. Detainee After Visit to Kabul by Senior Advisor to U.S. President Donald Trump
It was the highest-level publicly acknowledged meeting between the United States and Taliban authorities since the group took control of Afghanistan in 2021 (WaPo)
The Taliban foreign ministry said U.S. airline mechanic George Glezmann was freed on “humanitarian grounds” with no mention of a prisoner swap; he was detained more than two years ago while visiting as a tourist (NBC)
U.S. special government employee Adam Boehler—who had previously been Trump’s nominee for hostage envoy—met with the Taliban’s foreign minister (WaPo)
The Taliban foreign ministry said the two discussed bilateral relations, prisoner releases, and consular services for Afghans in the United States (Reuters)
Afghanistan, Pakistan Reopen Main Border Crossing After Hostilities Between Security Forces Prompted It to Close for Almost a Month
Afghanistan relies heavily on food imports from Pakistan, which had been backed up during the closure (Reuters)
Freight traffic was allowed, and passenger traffic is due to resume on Friday (ToloNews)
UN Security Council Votes to Extend UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan by a Year
The United Nations (UN) Security Council agreed that the dire humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan could exacerbate amidst the persistent risk of terrorism, cuts to foreign aid, and the closure of key medical facilities (UN)
Opium Prices Increase Despite Lower Supply and Ban on Production in Afghanistan
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) found that opium prices increased by $75 from last year at $750 per kilogram, adding that mass stockpiles contribute to the persistent profitability of Afghanistan’s drug trade; the Taliban imposed a ban on poppy cultivation in 2022 (UN)
Eighty-Two Afghan Women in Oman Confronted With Return to Afghanistan After U.S. Foreign Aid Cuts
USAID provided the women with scholarships to pursue higher education in Oman after the Taliban placed restrictions on women attending universities in Afghanistan; the students appealed to the international community for assistance, stating that their return to Afghanistan would occur within two weeks (BBC)
Afghan, Pakistani Security Forces Trade Fire at Closed Border Crossing, Killing One
The Torkham crossing had been closed for ten days amid broader bilateral tensions, stranding thousands of trucks carrying essential goods; Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of harboring militant groups, which Afghanistan’s Taliban government denies (Reuters)
Torkham Border Crossing Remains Closed Between Pakistan and Afghanistan
Pakistan reportedly closed the border crossing on February 21 due to a construction dispute at the checkpoint, stranding Afghan and Pakistani citizens on both sides and halting more than five thousand trucks from transporting goods; located in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the crossing serves as a key trade route between Pakistan and Central Asia (AP)
Storms and Heavy Snow Kill Thirty-Nine Across Afghanistan
Twenty-one of the victims died in flash flooding from the storms in the country’s western Farah province, while strong hail also collapsed a home, killing four; other afflicted provinces include Kandahar and Helmand (AFP)
Taliban Information Ministry Announces It Will Lift Suspension on Radio Begum
Government authorities raided and closed down the women’s radio station on February 4 (CNN)
It said the radio could resume broadcasts that were in accordance with the “regulations of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan” (AP)
Still, the Afghan Journalists Center said the outlets remained closed and two detained journalists had not yet been released (Amu TV)
Taliban Government Accuses Pakistan of Carrying Out Mass Expulsions of Afghan Refugees Without Formally Communicating the Plan
Pakistan said it was carrying out a process announced in 2023 and that those with valid visas would be allowed to stay (Reuters)
Pakistan also last month reportedly approved a plan to soon deport refugees waiting to be resettled in third countries unless their cases are quickly processed; they include tens of thousands of Afghans awaiting resettlement in the United States, who are now in limbo after Trump paused U.S. refugee programs last month (AP)
Taliban Officials Take Diplomatic Trip to Japan
This marks the first diplomatic visit by the Taliban government outside of its immediate neighbors, with a private Japanese grant-making organization facilitating the visit; Taliban representatives notably met with Japan’s Foreign Ministry to discuss broadening human rights protections and humanitarian aid access in Afghanistan (AP)
Suicide Bombing Kills Five
Casualties of the attack in the northeastern Kunduz province include civilians and Taliban members, though no group has claimed responsibility at this time (AP News)
Only Women’s Radio Station in Afghanistan Raided and Suspended by Taliban
Taliban officers raided the office of Radio-Begum in Kabul, seizing hard drives and other technology, with the Ministry of Information and Culture citing violations of “broadcasting policy” and “unauthorized provision of content;” Radio-Begum provides educational lessons for women, as well as information on health and psychology (CNN)
Taliban Fighters Opens Fire on UN Compound in Kabul
The United Nations and the Taliban announced separate investigations into a Taliban member’s gunfire on the UN compound Sunday in Kabul, Afghanistan (Reuters)
A security guard was injured in the incident, and the Taliban fighter was later found dead; a Taliban spokesperson said yesterday there had been a “one-way misunderstanding” but did not provide further details (AP)
Pakistan Deports 141 Afghan Nationals Back to Afghanistan
Pakistan’s ongoing campaign to detain and deport Afghans has drawn criticism from human rights groups and countries such as Germany (Amu;Amu;Amu)
Meanwhile, unidentified attackers shot and killed the police officer who was ordered to accompany healthcare workers on house-to-house polio vaccination campaigns in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province (Washington Post)
WHO Warns of Heightened Risk of Polio in Afghanistan Following U.S. Withdrawal
Hanan Balkhy, who serves as the World Health Organization’s Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, stated that U.S. aid and funding towards polio vaccines and sanitation for Afghanistan could lead to a continued increase in cases from 2024 (VOA)