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IEA leader issues Eid message, invites Afghans to return home
Hebatullah Akhundzada, the supreme leader of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA), issued a message Friday on the occasion of the upcoming Eid-ul-Fitr and called on Afghans to return to their country and on the international community to recognize the government.
Akhundzada reiterated that the IEA has granted a general amnesty to all opposition and has implemented the order.
“On the basis of this amnesty, I once again invite all Afghans to come to their country and live peacefully,” Akhundzada said.
“This country is no longer capable of carrying out any conspiracy,” he said.
He warned that if anyone violates the amnesty and “try to start a war in the country, then they will face a harsh and severe reaction and the nation will allow none to disturb peace and security of the country through foreign encouragement.”
In the message, Akhundzada also emphasized the need for the full implementation of the Doha agreement and to move forward “in the spirit of cooperation instead of pressure.”
“The Islamic Emirate has implemented its commitments and will continue to do so,” he said.
Citing the world’s need for peace and security, Akhundzada called on the world to recognize IEA “so that we may address our problems formally and within diplomatic norms and principles.”
He also called on the neighboring countries to give Afghan refugees time and permission to return to their homeland voluntarily and with dignity.
“Violation of human rights is not in the interest of anyone, rather it causes constant hatred and animosity between the nations,” Akhundzada said.
He said that IEA respects and is committed to all the Sharia rights of men and women in Afghanistan and “no one should worry about it and do not use this humanitarian and emotional issue as a tool for political ends.”
Akhundzada also said that the IEA is working to strengthen education and learning and is committed to taking further steps in this regard as “education is the key to rescue our compatriots and pave the way towards country’s development and prosperity.”
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UNESCO: 2.4 million Afghan girls denied education since 2021
UNESCO estimates that the ban could force around 600,000 Afghan women out of the workforce by 2066 and cause $9.6 billion in lost income. It could also increase the risk of early marriage.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) said on Tuesday around 2.4 million Afghan girls have been denied secondary education since the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) returned to power in 2021.
In a statement on Tuesday, UNESCO said Afghanistan is the only country in the world where girls and women are officially barred from secondary and higher education.
The organization warned that the restrictions could increase poverty, reduce employment opportunities and cause long-term damage to Afghanistan’s future.
UNESCO estimates that the ban could force around 600,000 Afghan women out of the workforce by 2066 and cause $9.6 billion in lost income. It could also increase the risk of early marriage.
Girls’ secondary schools were closed in March 2022, followed by a ban on women attending universities in December of the same year. The IEA initially described the restrictions as temporary, but they remain in place.
UNESCO also warned that the restrictions could worsen Afghanistan’s shortage of female teachers. It estimates the country could face a shortage of more than 11,000 qualified female teachers by 2030.
The organization said more than 90% of 10-year-old children in Afghanistan cannot read a simple text, while the national literacy rate is around 37%.
Nearly half of the country’s schools also lack adequate access to water, sanitation or heating, UNESCO said.
According to the report, around three million people returned to Afghanistan in 2025, putting further pressure on the education system. Since 2021, earthquakes, floods and other natural disasters have also forced around 1,000 schools to close.
Russia’s Power Machines Company is interested in investing in the rehabilitation and modernization of Afghanistan’s power plants, Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS) said on Tuesday.
DABS Chief Executive Officer Abdul Haq Hamkar discussed the potential investment with technical officials from Power Machines, with talks focusing on rehabilitating existing power plants, modernizing equipment and expanding power-generation capacity.
According to DABS, Hamkar said the company would cooperate in facilitating preliminary technical assessments of Afghanistan’s power plants and in exploring investment opportunities in the sector.
Denis Rudakov, head of Power Machines’ commercial department, said the Russian company plans to conduct preliminary technical assessments of existing power plants in Afghanistan.
Based on the findings, Power Machines will prepare proposals for rehabilitating facilities, modernizing equipment and increasing electricity-generation capacity, DABS said.
Afghanistan currently has several operational power plants, while efforts are underway to increase their generation capacity and upgrade their equipment, according to DABS.
Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesman for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA), on Tuesday denied that IEA authorities detained Mahmood Shah Habibi, an Afghan-American businessman the US claims disappeared in Kabul four years ago.
“We have no information about Mahmood Shah Habibi. He is not with the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. If he were, this issue would have been resolved long ago,” Mujahid said.
His remarks came a day after the FBI marked the fourth anniversary of Habibi’s disappearance and renewed its appeal for information about his whereabouts.
According to the FBI, Habibi disappeared near his home in Kabul on August 10, 2022. At the time, he was working as a consultant for Asia Consultancy Group, a Kabul-based telecommunications company. He had previously served as Afghanistan’s director of civil aviation.
The FBI has alleged that Habibi was detained by the IEA’s General Directorate of Intelligence.
The FBI has continued its investigation and in 2025 released a missing-persons poster for Habibi. The U.S. State Department has also offered a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to his location, recovery and return.
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