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Afghan orchestras and artists insist Taliban won’t stop the music

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Afghanistan’s first all-female orchestra has launched a fundraising drive – not to go on tour or buy instruments – but to build an underground bunker in the event of an attack.

Under the “Be part of Zohra’s Journey” page, the number one request reads: “Make a donation”

“Your financial contribution will help: 01 – Build an underground dining facility to be used as a bunker in case of attacks. Target: $150,000.

Less than two and a half years ago the Zohra orchestra was dazzling audiences around Europe and receiving standing ovations after sold out concerts in key cities. But now as the security situation in Afghanistan deteriorates, they, like all Afghan artists, musicians and actors fear for their future, and safety.

When the Taliban were in power, from 1996 to 2001, they banned art, theatre and music. They burned books and DVDs and destroyed televisions and musical instruments.

Many artists fled the country.

While the Taliban insist they have changed, two weeks ago they killed a popular comedian, Nazar Mohammad, in Kandahar and last week, shot dead Dawa Khan Menapal, the head of the government’s media and information department, in Kabul.

Speaking to the UK’s Daily Times, Ahmad Sarmast, the founder of the Afghanistan National Institute of Music (Amin), which runs Zohra, said: “We have seen this movie before.”

“The entire nation was silenced under the Taliban and the music stopped.”

He insists that will not be allowed to happen again. “The Afghanistan of today is a very different place to when they took over in 1996, particularly the youth who are aware of their rights and won’t let anyone take them away.”

The music school has 350 students of which almost a third are female. Among them is Meena Karimi, 16, a cellist who took part in the tour to the UK, the Times reported.

She says she and the other female members discuss every day which provinces have fallen to the Taliban. Last month they were horrified when rockets were fired into the presidential palace compound.

“I was really shocked — if a rocket can even go in the president’s home, things are really bad,” she said. “But we need to be strong. I’ve heard stories about the Taliban and how horrible it was but I think our new generation is stronger. Me and my friends will not let the Taliban stop our music.”

The orchestra has been targeted three times since 2014 when a concert was attacked by a suicide bomber, But for Meena, “music is healing”.

“When I am sad I play to be happy and after all these years of war our country needs that.”

Last month the institute moved into a new larger campus and took delivery of ten new pianos as well as crates of instruments. “We have not stopped and will continue to fight Taliban with the beauty of music,” Sarmast told the Times.

Zohra’s musicians are the first women in their families, communities and country to study music in over 30 years. They come from provinces across Afghanistan to live in Kabul and study at the Afghanistan National Institute of Music.

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Turkish intelligence captures a Daesh member near the Durand Line

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Turkish intelligence agents have captured a senior member of Daesh near the Durand Line, reportedly preventing planned suicide attacks in Turkey and other countries, according to Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency on Monday.

The suspect, identified as Mehmet Goren, is a Turkish citizen. He was apprehended during a covert operation and transferred to Turkey. Details on the timing of the operation or the involvement of Afghan and Pakistani authorities were not disclosed.

According to the report, Goren had risen through the ranks of Daesh and was allegedly tasked with carrying out suicide bombings in Turkey, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Europe.

Daesh has a history of deadly attacks in Turkey, including the January 1, 2017 shooting at an Istanbul nightclub that killed 39 people.

Anadolu Agency reported that Goren’s arrest also provided intelligence on the group’s recruitment strategies and planned activities.

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Dozens of needy families in Kabul receive winter aid from Bayat Foundation

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Dozens of needy families in Kabul’s fifth district have received essential winter assistance from the Bayat Foundation, as part of ongoing efforts to ease hardship during the cold season and worsening economic conditions.

According to foundation officials, the aid package includes staple food items such as flour, rice, and cooking oil, along with warm blankets to help families cope with freezing temperatures. Haji Mohammad Ismail, Deputy Head of Bayat Foundation, said the distribution began in Kabul and will soon be expanded to other provinces.

“Our assistance includes flour, rice, cooking oil, and blankets,” Ismail said. “Today, we started distributing these items in Kabul’s fifth district, and God willing, the aid will reach other provinces in the near future.”

Afghanistan continues to face widespread poverty, unemployment, and food insecurity, with many families struggling to meet basic needs, particularly during winter when access to work and heating becomes more difficult.Humanitarian organizations and charitable foundations have stepped up relief efforts to support those most affected.

Beneficiaries welcomed the assistance, describing it as a lifeline. “May God bless you for helping the poor. We had nothing and no work,” said one recipient. Another added, “Thank you for your help. Our flour was almost finished.”

Bayat Foundation officials stressed that winter aid distributions will continue in Kabul and other provinces in the coming days, as part of their broader commitment to supporting needy families across the country.

 

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Nearly seven million Afghan refugees return home since Islamic Emirate’s takeover

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Since the Islamic Emirate came to power, approximately 6.8 million Afghans have returned home, either voluntarily or forcibly, from neighboring countries and other nations, according to the Minister of Refugees and Repatriation.

Mawlawi Abdul Kabir, speaking at a meeting on finalizing a draft plan for a permanent migration solution in Afghanistan, added that 1.3 million Afghans have been internally displaced due to natural disasters during the same period.

With winter approaching, widespread poverty and severe cold are threatening thousands of lives. Meanwhile, the forced expulsion of Afghan migrants from neighboring countries, particularly Iran and Pakistan, continues.

The Islamic Emirate has repeatedly urged neighboring states to allow migrants to return voluntarily. According to UNHCR, over two million Afghans have returned from Iran and Pakistan since the start of 2025.

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