The Taliban have detained a prominent university professor after he publicly criticized the Taliban-led government in a live television debate, prompting a torrent of domestic and international criticism and worries about his safety.
Iran has deported an increasing number of Afghan refugees but they keep coming back.
This week's Gandhara Briefing brings you insights on Afghan opposition to the Taliban’s religious policing, what's behind the border clash between the Taliban and Turkmenistan, and Pakistani university students who are volunteering to educate child laborers.
The Taliban's feared Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice has issued a spate of draconian decrees in recent weeks. Afghans say the directives, including ordering men to grow beards and women to travel with a male chaperone, infringe on basic human rights and freedoms.
Afghanistan’s embassy in Rome says it was forced to call Italian police for help after a sacked Afghan diplomat attacked the ambassador.
Sources in Afghanistan say Turkmen troops killed an Afghan civilian and later opened fire on Taliban militants who came to investigate the killing. It is the first reported time the two sides have engaged in a shoot-out.
Dozens of people said to abuse drugs are being held at one of Afghanistan's biggest prisons together with convicted criminals. Taliban officials claim Kandahar Central Prison serves as an educational and rehab center for those with drug addictions.
Turkmen border guards have skirmished with Taliban fighters along the Afghan border, according to local media reports.
What emerged in Afghanistan after the Taliban's rapid return to power might not be what was imagined when the year began, but Afghans and outside observers are adjusting to expect the unexpected.
Former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has again defended his departure from Kabul in August, saying he had no choice but to leave the country as Taliban militants bore down on the capital after an agreement with the administration of former U.S. President Donald Trump paved the way for their return.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has announced the appointment of two women to lead U.S. efforts to support Afghan women, girls, and human rights.
Since the Taliban seized power, it has vandalized or destroyed the graves of some of its slain foes, including prominent military commanders in the former Afghan Army. The militants have also targeted monuments dedicated to figures who fought the group during its first stint in power in the 1990s.
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