by Waheed Orya, Mazar-e Sharif
The flag, gun-salutes and New Year
The flag, gun-salutes and New Year
by Waheed Orya and Gul Rahim Niazman, Mazar-e Sharif
Thousands gathered at Mazar-e Sharif's Blue Mosque today to celebrate Nowruz, Afghan New Year, which marks the beginning of the Solar Hijri calender used in Iran and Afghanistan as well as the advent of Spring. Two Afghanistan Today photographers were at hand to capture the festivities. read more
by Khushqadam Usmani, Faizabad
Deemed to restore the tarnished reputation of a husband or family, so-called honour killings are rarer today in Afghanistan. But they still occur and highlight the darker sides of family and community relations. One village in Badakhshan is now at the centre of a police investigation over the suspected honour killing of a young woman over her stormy marriage. read more
Af-Pak focus: Soft hands, hard labour
Af-Pak focus: Soft hands, hard labour
by Farid Shinwari and Naqib Ahmad Atal, Torkham, Afghan-Pakistani border
State authorities and child welfare NGOs say they are working to eradicate child labour in Afghanistan and Pakistan. But at the busy border crossing point at Torkham, the practice and associated ills such as sexual abuse of minors seem impervious to efforts to curb them. read more
by Afghanistan Today journalists, Various Afghan provinces
From petitions to awareness campaigns, peaceful demonstrations and explosive riots that claimed innocent lives, Afghans have in recent years discovered a power of protest that is slowly and painfully maturing. Paired with Zarwali Khoshnood's diary piece reflecting on the riot of February 24, 2012, in Khost over the accidental burning of Korans by US soldiers, Afghanistan Today presents a series of images, both inspiring and alarming, of the power of protest. read more
by Mohammad Yasir Sharifi and Samira Sadat , Asadabad/Kabul
School teachers in remote areas are increasingly hiring unqualified proxies because their journey to work is too long and costly. Some parents accept that this is a reality of where they live, others are angry at the practice. Education authorities say they are trying to tackle the problem. read more
by Ahmad Balaal, Asadabad
Inmates of Kunar Prison claim they have served their sentences but were not released. Others say appeal courts ruled in their favour, yet they remain behind bars. Local judiciary officials, the NDS and the Attorney General's Office deny any wrongdoing, but something is clearly amiss at this institution. Ahmad Balaal reports. read more
Con or cure? Meet the scorpion doctor
Con or cure? Meet the scorpion doctor
by Samira Sadat, Kabul
The skin pigmentation disorder vitiligo has baffled the medical world for centuries. But a poison purveyor in Parwan Province claims he has cured thousands with ointments derived from scorpion and cobra poison. Samira Sadat went to Charikar to meet a local hero. read more
by Masood Momin, Kabul
A new literacy app for mobile phones, Ustad, is the Afghan government’s latest attempt to fulfill the target of ensuring 48 per cent of the population aged over 15 can read and write within three years. The digital teachers are ready, but can the project get off the ground? read more
by Nang Durrani, Kandahar
Many Kandaharis blame Pakistan for much of the violence affecting the province. Yet this hasn’t diminished the flow of ordinary people across the border in search of quality medical treatment. Meanwhile, Pakistan’s arch-rival India is eager to boost its share of the so-called medical tourism. read more
by Masood Momin, Kabul
Shaken by the extent of drug addiction in her city, Afghan filmmaker Laila Haidary used her own money to set up a camp for recovering heroin addicts. But despite assisting 400 desperately afflicted people, she has been harassed and threatened, and now the project faces possible closure by the government. read more
by Gul Rahim Niazman, Naqib Ahmad Atal, Farhad Peikar, Kunduz/Takhar, Jalalabad, Kabul
Incidents of sexual assault on women and minors are sharply increasing in Afghanistan, especially in the northern provinces, say rights activists. Much of the blame is levelled at renegade militias and armed groups that are said to be protected by senior government officials. But critics say the lack of investigation and prosecution also reflects society’s failure to face up to the prevalence of rape. In this special report, Afghanistan Today examines the turbulent process of recognizing and tackling this crime. read more
by Gul Rahim Niazman, Kunduz
Taxi drivers, business owners, street vendors and shopkeepers are exasperated by the daily harassment and shakedowns they face at the hands of police, customs and municipal authorities. Even children are being forced to bribe their teachers to come to class. In this special report, Gul Rahim Niazman examines the ire of locals in Kunduz. read more
by Noorullah Baraz, Herat
It may firmly appear to be a man's world in Afghanistan, but the country's 1,300 female police officers are holding their own alongside their male colleagues. Afghanistan Today's Noorullah Bayaz went to see them in action at the Afghan National Police training school in Herat. read more
by Masood Momin, Kabul
Bearing the name of Sahar Gul, a young girl subjected to unspeakable horrors by her own relatives, a café in Kabul might not be expected to be a place of hope and calm. Yet Afghanistan’s first women-only internet centre launches a new forum for empowerment of half the population. read more
by Massoud Ahmadi, Herat
Despite a decade of life after Taliban rule, there are still only 27 registered female drivers in Herat. It's considered a relatively progressive example by Afghan standards, reflective of the western city's proximity to Iran. But for this tiny vanguard of women at the wheel, every journey can be a test of conviction. read more
by Samira Sadat, Kabul
In the streets and bazaars of Kabul, baggy trousers, pierced ears and dyed-hair have been inching out traditional Afghan attires over a decade of strong new influences. Western and Indian films are importing a new culture and even marketing psychology is changing. But not everybody thinks it’s for the best. read more
From hostility to hospitality: mud's got it covered
From hostility to hospitality: mud's got it covered
by Zarwali Khoshnood, Khost
Fortresses, houses, walls, furniture, cooking ranges and even toys - you will find them all made of mud somewhere in Afghanistan. And far from being a desperate alternative to man-made building materials, traditional mud constructions often have the advantage over the modern equivalent. read more
by Mohammad Yasir Sharifi, Jalalabad
In the eastern province of Nangarhar, the business of “curing” mental illness through a dubious mix of religion and superstition is thriving. Sick people brought to the famous Mia Ali shrine near Jalalabad are chained up in their own filth for 40 days at a time, while at a state-run specialized ward for mental illness, beds go empty. read more
by Rahmat Alizada, Ghazni
Unsually for a high-security penal facility, there is a growing unanimity among inmates and staff alike at Ghazni Prison. Both sides agree conditions are deteriorating beyond the tolerable, that overcrowding has reached critical levels, and outbreaks of violent revolt and pestilence are to be expected if there are no improvements. In a rare glimpse behind the walls of an Afghan jail, Afghanistan Today meets the occupants. read more
by Massoud Ahmadi, Herat
Tempted by tales of work and plenty, families from Pakistan are migrating across Afghanistan to Herat to escape poverty at home but end up begging on the streets. Amid local concerns that their growing numbers may cause social problems or criminality, hopes of a better life are both dashed and, for some of them, oddly fulfilled. read more
Is it curtains for the giant wedding?
Is it curtains for the giant wedding?
by Mir Sediq Zaliq , Kabul
Lavish expectations are making weddings increasingly unaffordable for many ordinary Afghans. But government attempts to put limits on citizens’ nuptials are encountering stiff resistance from the big spenders and the hospitality industry read more
Higher education? It’s a Chinese puzzle
Higher education? It’s a Chinese puzzle
by Samira Sadat, Kabul
The Afghan higher education system has capacity for 34,000 students, but thousands more are being admitted into universities to meet demand. Steps are being taken to create new places, but for now some students have to settle for any department they can get. read more
by Zafar Shah Rouyee, Kabul
According to official figures, there are 64,000 families of internally displaced persons in Afghanistan, 2,250 of them in Kabul. There are many reasons why they left their homes, but no one has yet worked out how to get them to go back voluntarily. Now the government is working with NGOs to try to empty the tent and mud shelter camps that have sprung up. read more
by Afghanistan Today journalists, Various Afghan provinces
Images that emerge from Afghanistan all too often relate to violence and persecution, poverty and despair. They do chronicle a country embroiled in conflict, yet they proliferate at the expense of everyday reminders of the lighter moments that exist everywhere. Afghanistan Today presents a selection of scenes of entertainment, fun, rest and relaxation. read more
Is it curtains for the giant wedding?
Is it curtains for the giant wedding?
by Mir Sediq Zaliq , Kabul
Lavish expectations are making weddings increasingly unaffordable for many ordinary Afghans. But government attempts to put limits on citizens’ nuptials are encountering stiff resistance from the big spenders and the hospitality industry read more
