Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai has marked Ashura, the anniversary of the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, describing the occasion as a symbol of reform, sacrifice, and social responsibility.

In a message posted on X, Karzai said Imam Hussein stood against social injustice and deviation, calling on society to embrace reform and righteousness. He said the historic events of Karbala continue to inspire responsibility, courage, and awareness among Muslims.

Karzai added that the people of Afghanistan, like Muslims around the world, commemorate Ashura and regard love for the family of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) as a source of unity and brotherhood.

He also expressed hope that Afghans would use the spiritual significance of Ashura to strengthen national unity and work together for the country’s progress, prosperity, and advancement through education and knowledge.

Afghanistan’s Ministry of Interior Affairs says more than 11,000 operations were carried out against drug traffickers across the country over the past year, resulting in the arrest of over 13,000 individuals who were later referred to judicial authorities.

Marking International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking in Kabul on Thursday, officials said that during more than 25,000 poppy eradication operations, over 21,000 jeribs of land were cleared of poppy cultivation.

The ministry added that more than 7,000 drug addicts were collected from different parts of the country during the past year, while security forces also seized more than 2,000 tons of narcotics.

According to official figures, the anti-narcotics measures carried out over the past year include:

• 11,022 operations conducted against drug traffickers

• 25,764 operations launched to destroy poppy fields

• 7,844 drug addicts collected for treatment

• 2,159 tons of narcotics confiscated

• 13,326 individuals referred to courts

• 21,569 jeribs of land cleared of poppy cultivation

• 533 drug production factories destroyed

Currently, Afghanistan has 16 drug rehabilitation centers nationwide, with 12 already operational and four others in the process of becoming active.

According to officials from the Ministry of Interior Affairs Afghanistan, more than 13,000 people are currently undergoing treatment, while around 185,000 addicts have been collected for rehabilitation over the past several years.

The report comes as the Islamic Emirate highlights major progress in combating narcotics, an issue that had severely damaged Afghanistan’s reputation in previous administrations when the country was considered one of the world’s largest producers of illicit drugs.

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has warned of a sharp increase in severe acute malnutrition among children in southern Afghanistan, saying growing numbers of critically ill patients are arriving too late to receive timely treatment.

According to MSF, admissions to its inpatient therapeutic feeding centers in Helmand and Kandahar between January and April 2026 were more than 30 percent higher than the average recorded during the same period over the previous three years. Most of the affected children were under the age of one.

MSF said the worsening crisis has been driven by a combination of severe funding cuts to humanitarian programs, prolonged drought, food insecurity, and disruptions to medical and food supplies. The organization warned that the closure or suspension of hundreds of health facilities has weakened early detection and treatment services for malnutrition.

“Children are reaching us far too late, often in critical condition with preventable medical complications,” said Ana Lilia Banda, MSF’s medical coordinator in southern Afghanistan. She stressed that restoring outpatient and inpatient nutrition services is essential to prevent avoidable child deaths.

The organization noted that more than 1,500 severely malnourished children were admitted to its feeding center at Boost Provincial Hospital in Helmand during the first four months of 2026—more than double the number recorded during the same period in 2022. In Kandahar, more than 570 children received inpatient treatment, while over 300 patients had to be referred to other health facilities because of limited capacity.

MSF also highlighted the growing impact of maternal malnutrition, saying many mothers lack adequate food, making it difficult to properly breastfeed and care for their infants.

The organization has called on international donors, Afghan health authorities, and humanitarian organizations to urgently restore funding for nutrition programs, ensure an uninterrupted supply of therapeutic food and essential medicines, and expand lifesaving services to prevent the crisis from worsening.