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Taliban capture key dam in Kandahar province
The Taliban has captured Afghanistan’s second-biggest dam after months of fierce fighting in its former bastion of Kandahar, the group and officials said, as the US forces have begun the withdrawal of its troops from the country after 20 years, AFP reported.
The Dahla Dam, which provides irrigation to farmers via a network of canals as well as drinking water for the provincial capital, was now under Taliban control, local officials told AFP news agency on Thursday.
A Taliban spokesman Qari Yousuf also confirmed this and said: “We have seized the Dahla Dam in Arghandab.”
Haji Gulbuddin, governor of an adjacent district, confirmed the dam “is now in the control of the Taliban”, AFP reported.
“Our security forces … asked for reinforcements but they failed to get it,” he said.
Kandahar water department chief Tooryalay Mahboobi told AFP the Taliban recently warned Dahla employees not to go to work.
Last month the armed fighters blew up a bridge that connected the dam to adjacent districts, AFP reported.
Dahla was built by the US nearly 70 years ago to provide water for irrigating land in about seven districts of Kandahar.
In 2019, the Asian Development Bank approved a grant of nearly $350m to be used partly to expand the reservoir-style project.
The surrounding district has seen intense fighting in the past six months, but officials announced in April that the area had been cleared.
Before retreating, the Taliban planted explosives across the area – including in residential complexes – officials said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan has appointed 19 ambassadors and consuls general for its overseas missions.
Among these appointments, Shahbaz Hussain and Awais Ahmad Khan have been named as Pakistan’s consuls general in Kandahar and Mazar-e-Sharif, respectively.
Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister, said in a post on X that these appointments were made with the approval of Shahbaz Sharif, the country’s Prime Minister.
Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai says the growth and development of human society in various dimensions require the active role of women and girls, and this is only possible if they have access to education.
Karzai made these remarks on Wednesday on the occasion of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, which falls on February 11.
Expressing appreciation for the role of Afghan women and girls in social life, he encouraged them to strive by all possible means to gain access to education and training and to participate in the growth and development of the country.
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Four years on, UN and EU renew call for Afghan girls’ right to education
The European Union delegation in Afghanistan also stressed the importance of women’s participation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
As the world observed International Day of Women and Girls in Science, the United Nations and the European Union renewed their calls for Afghan girls’ right to education, warning that continued restrictions threaten the country’s future development.
The United Nations in Afghanistan said the day was marked with sorrow, noting that 1,607 days have passed since girls over the age of 12 were barred from attending school.
UNAMA warned that more than four years of exclusion have led to lost opportunities and undermined key sectors that rely on educated women, reiterating its demand that the ban be lifted.
The European Union delegation in Afghanistan also stressed the importance of women’s participation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
In a statement, the EU said Afghan women — including nurses, midwives, and researchers — play a crucial role in building a healthy and prosperous society, adding that women must remain central to scientific progress. The bloc reaffirmed its support for education for all Afghans.
The United Nations further emphasized that equality in science is essential not only for human advancement but also for ensuring that technology and artificial intelligence contribute to global prosperity.
It warned that excluding Afghan women and girls from education and employment is not only an act of marginalization but a serious barrier to Afghanistan’s long-term development and stability.
The statements come amid continued international appeals to expand access to education and job opportunities for Afghan women and girls.
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