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Herat gets the keys to 89 new schools
The construction of 89 schools in Herat province, under the umbrella of the National Citizenship Charter project of the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development, has been completed – providing thousands of students with access to proper education facilities.
Mohammad Nader, the head of the development council for Ghorian district in Herat, has welcomed the completion of the project and said this means village children are not learning outdoors.
“The students of villages studied outside for six years in an unfavorable environment, but with the construction of these schools the people’s problems were solved.”
In addition to the newly completed schools in Herat, a further 117 planned. These are being built by the AQRA project in 19 districts of the province.
Of the total 206 schools, 89 have already been built, 62 are under construction and another 55 are in the planning stage.
At the inauguration of the new academic year, President Ashraf Ghani vowed to increase teachers’ salaries, to hire over 11,000 additional teachers, and to build 1,800 new schools across the country.
According to Ghani, at least one million children will attend school this year.
Afghanistan’s education system has been devastated by more than three decades of sustained conflict and for many of the country’s children, completing primary school remains a distant dream – especially in rural areas and for girls.
In the poorest and remote areas of the country, enrolment levels vary extensively and girls still lack equal access.
An estimated 3.7 million children are out-of-school in Afghanistan – 60 percent of them are girls, UNICEF reports.
The underlying reasons for low girls’ enrolment is insecurity and traditional norms and practices related to girls’ and women’s role in the society. But in some parts of the country, a shortage of schools and insufficient transportation are the main obstacles to education – a long walk to school means fewer children go.
According to UNICEF, geographical barriers, especially in mountainous areas, also make it hard for children to reach the classroom while the socio-political and humanitarian crises that Afghanistan faces critically affect a fragile education system.
Natural disasters such as floods, earthquakes, and landslides also exacerbate the situation for all children.
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Afghan official slams Shehbaz Sharif’s ‘shameful’ claims on Islamic unity
Khubaib Ghufran, spokesperson for Afghanistan’s Ministry of Information and Culture, sharply criticized Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif over his recent claims about Islamic unity in relation to the war in Iran, calling them “shameful.”
On his X account, Ghaffran wrote: “You praised Trump as a hero of the Gaza peace plan, yet today you claim Islamic unity regarding Iran in a war that the same criminal (Trump) and his allies initiated?”
He added that while Afghanistan is governed under an Islamic system, Shehbaz Sharif has shown no compassion even toward the most vulnerable groups—from children to women and drug addicts—and that this cruelty persisted even during the holy month of Ramadan.
Ghaffran described Sharif’s stance as a “grave shame” and a stark example of “historical hypocrisy.”
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Airstrike on Kabul drug rehabilitation centre sparks legal concerns
Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for Research, Isabelle Lassee, said the scale of casualties suggests the presence of a significant civilian population at the site.
An airstrike on a drug rehabilitation facility in Kabul has drawn sharp criticism from Amnesty International, raising serious questions about compliance with international humanitarian law.
The strike, carried out on 16 March, targeted a site at Camp Phoenix, a former military base that has functioned largely as a rehabilitation centre since 2016. Pakistani officials have claimed the attack was aimed at an ammunition depot allegedly located within the compound.
Responding to those claims, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for Research, Isabelle Lassee, said the scale of casualties suggests the presence of a significant civilian population at the site.
“While the total number of casualties has yet to be independently verified, it is clear that the attack caused extensive civilian harm, with reports indicating hundreds killed or injured,” she said.
Lassee emphasized that the facility was widely known to house civilians undergoing treatment, and warned that any military action should have taken this into account. “Pakistan’s military should have taken all feasible precautions to avoid harming civilians and civilian infrastructure,” she added.
She further noted that even if a military target had been present within the compound, international law requires that any strike be proportionate, ensuring that civilian harm is not excessive in relation to the anticipated military advantage.
“The scale of destruction raises serious concerns about whether an adequate proportionality assessment was conducted and whether sufficient steps were taken to verify the target and minimize civilian casualties,” Lassee said.
Amnesty International has called on Pakistani authorities to disclose the intelligence behind the strike and to launch an independent, impartial, and transparent investigation into the incident. The organization stressed that findings should be made public to ensure accountability.
The group also urged all parties involved in the conflict to adhere strictly to international humanitarian law and to protect civilian infrastructure, including medical and rehabilitation facilities.
The airstrike formed part of Pakistan’s “Operation Ghazab Lil Haq,” which included strikes in both Kabul and Nangarhar Province. The targeted rehabilitation centre, known as Omid, reportedly had the capacity to accommodate around 2,000 individuals.
Casualty figures remain contested. Islamic Emirate officials claim more than 400 civilians were killed and over 200 injured, though these numbers have not been independently verified. The United Nations has so far confirmed 143 deaths.
The strike comes amid escalating tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan. According to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, at least 76 civilian casualties had already been recorded since the conflict intensified in February.
Pakistani officials, meanwhile, reported civilian casualties on their side of the border, including four deaths in Bajaur district on 15 March and the killing of a child in North Waziristan earlier in the month, allegedly due to cross-border fire from Afghanistan.
The latest developments underscore growing concerns about civilian safety as hostilities between the two countries continue to intensify.
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