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Poverty and unemployment drive children in Nangarhar out of classrooms
Officials at Nangarhar’s Department of Labor and Social Affairs insist they are making progress, noting that recent initiatives have begun to reduce the number of working children.
Worsening poverty and unemployment in Afghanistan’s eastern Nangarhar province are forcing thousands of children into hard labor, depriving many of them of the education they need to break the cycle of hardship.
In Jalalabad city alone, dozens of children can be seen working in the streets from dawn to dusk — polishing shoes, selling goods, or collecting recyclables — instead of attending school.
For many, their daily income determines whether their families can afford a single loaf of bread. Some are the sole breadwinners for their households, saying they have no choice but to work in order to provide what they describe as a “halal livelihood” for their loved ones.
Civil society activists describe the trend as alarming and warn that the number of child laborers continues to grow. They are calling for comprehensive, sustained programs to remove children from exploitative work and return them to classrooms.
Officials at Nangarhar’s Department of Labor and Social Affairs insist they are making progress, noting that recent initiatives have begun to reduce the number of working children.
One effort by the Islamic Emirate involves gathering child laborers and providing them with vocational training. However, experts caution that such measures fall far short of the scale of support and educational access needed to protect children’s welfare.
Afghanistan is in the grip of one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, with decades of conflict, economic collapse, and natural disasters driving millions into poverty.
The UN estimates that more than half of the population faces acute food insecurity, while unemployment remains widespread. In rural and urban areas alike, families often rely on children to supplement or replace lost income, perpetuating a cycle in which poverty forces children out of school and into low-paid, hazardous work.
Hamdullah Fitrat, deputy spokesman of the Islamic Emirate, said that a mortar shell of the Pakistani military regime hit Shanpat area of Nari district of Kunar province at 9:30 am on Sunday, killing one civilian and wounding another.
The injured person is a woman, he said.
Pakistani forces also opened fire on a civilian vehicle in Shakin district of Paktika province, but no casualties were reported, Fitrat said.
The Pakistani government had earlier announced that it would halt its attacks on Afghanistan until Monday night on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr.
Germany was not informed of the appointment of a new Afghan diplomat in Berlin, according to a report by public broadcaster ARD, raising fresh questions about the Islamic Emirate’s expanding control over overseas missions.
The report states that an IEA-linked official has assumed the role of chargé d’affaires at Afghanistan’s embassy in Berlin without prior approval from the German government. Under the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, host countries must consent to such diplomatic appointments.
Germany does not formally recognize the IEA government, which returned to power in August 2021 following the withdrawal of US and NATO forces.
Undisclosed leadership role
According to ARD, the official—identified as Nebrasul H.—arrived in Berlin in July last year as a junior consular staff member, a position approved by German authorities. However, documents obtained by the broadcaster suggest he was also quietly appointed to lead the embassy.
He is reportedly acting as chargé d’affaires, effectively heading the mission and liaising directly with Afghanistan’s Foreign Ministry in Kabul.
The move highlights the IEA’s efforts to consolidate authority over Afghan diplomatic missions abroad, despite lacking broad international recognition.
Berlin ‘not notified’
Germany’s Foreign Ministry said it had received “no notification of any personnel changes” at Afghan diplomatic missions in the country.
Berlin has consistently maintained that Afghan embassies should remain under representatives appointed by the former government of Ashraf Ghani, which was ousted in 2021.
Previous envoy sidelined
The report also claims that the previous head of mission, Abdul P., has been stripped of his authority and reduced to a largely symbolic role. He was originally appointed under the Ghani administration.
Despite being sidelined, he remains in Berlin, reportedly continuing to live in the ambassador’s residence and retaining diplomatic privileges.
Wider diplomatic shift
In a related development, ARD reported that another Afghan official who arrived alongside Nebrasul H. has assumed a leadership role at the Afghan consulate in Bonn, also without formal recognition from German authorities.
The developments suggest a broader strategy by the IEA to assert control over Afghanistan’s diplomatic presence in Europe, even in countries that do not officially recognize its rule.
Sebastian Gorka, Deputy Assistant to U.S. President Donald Trump, says efforts are ongoing to secure the release of all Americans detained in Afghanistan.
In a post on X, Gorka marked the anniversary of the release of George Glezmann, who had been held for 836 days, describing his detention as part of what he called the Islamic Emirate’s use of “hostage diplomacy.”
He added that Trump “will not rest” until all Americans held in Afghanistan are freed, naming detainees including Dennis Coyle, Mahmood Habibi, Paul Overby, and Polynesus Jackson.
“Kabul, you have been warned,” he said.
The remarks come amid increased US pressure, including a recent designation by U.S. State Department labeling Afghanistan a “state sponsor of wrongful detention.”
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has described the decision as regrettable, emphasizing that disputes should be addressed through dialogue.
The ministry, said that citizens of no country are detained in Afghanistan for bargaining purposes. Instead, some individuals have been arrested on charges of violating the law, many of whom have later been released after completing legal procedures.
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