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World Bank allocates $16 million to support women-led businesses in Afghanistan

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The World Bank has declared that it has allocated $16 million to support small businesses in Afghanistan, focusing on women-owned enterprises and businesses led by them.

The World Bank stated Wednesday through a press release that this assistance will be directly disbursed to the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF) via the Aga Khan Foundation in the USA.

Melinda Good, World Bank country director for Afghanistan, emphasized that “supporting small financial providers in Afghanistan is one of the few actionable options currently available to enhance access to financial resources in Afghanistan, especially for women.”

She said, “This project aims to strengthen the small financial sector in Afghanistan so that owners of small businesses and women-led enterprises can access the necessary financial credit to rebuild their businesses, rebuild their lives, and contribute to the revival of the private sector.”

The World Bank stated that the Afghanistan Credit Guarantee Foundation was established in 2004 and added that the bank is striving to increase access to financial resources in Afghanistan for small and medium-sized enterprises by providing credit guarantees and technical assistance.

This comes as support for women in the private sector, especially in investment and trade, has increased from international organizations.

The World Bank report stated that this project will be concentrated in 15 provinces of Afghanistan, including Badakhshan, Balkh, Bamyan, Daikundi, Faryab, Herat, Jawzjan, Kabul, Kunduz, Nangarhar, Parwan, Samangan, Sar-e Pol, and Takhar.

It is worth mentioning that this project in Afghanistan will be implemented through the Aga Khan Foundation and the Afghanistan Credit Guarantee Foundation.

The World Bank has stated that the goal of aligning this project is to support “enhancing the financial resilience and growth of small providers and companies.”

Additionally, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) has announced the alignment of several projects to create job opportunities for women and emphasized that aligning projects strengthens the economy of Afghanistan and enables women entrepreneurs to manage their businesses.

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Tajik foreign minister urges international community to help Afghanistan address its challenges

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Tajikistan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sirodjiddin Mukhriddin, has called on the international community to step up assistance for Afghanistan as the country continues to face challenges.

Speaking at a press conference, Mukhriddin said Tajikistan and Afghanistan maintain active coordination between their law enforcement agencies to prevent security incidents along their shared border. He noted that this cooperation remains essential, as the frequency of armed attacks and criminal activity in border regions has increased in recent months.

He said that Afghan authorities had assured Tajikistan they would take necessary measures to stop further incidents and would conduct thorough investigations into any violations.

Mukhriddin emphasized that Tajikistan supports constructive international engagement aimed at improving Afghanistan’s socio-economic conditions. He highlighted that Tajikistan has provided more than 6,000 tons of humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, including food and essential supplies delivered in 2025 to assist communities affected by devastating earthquakes.

The minister also pointed to growing economic cooperation between the two neighbors. Tajikistan has reopened border markets and continues to supply electricity to Afghanistan.

Tajikistan and Afghanistan share a border of more than 1,300 kilometers—over 1,100 km of which consists of waterways and about 190 km of land boundaries.

Meanwhile, Zafar Samad Director of the Drug Control Agency under the President of the Republic of Tajikistan, has said that last year, 17 incidents of clashes happened with drug smugglers along the border with Afghanistan. As a result, two Tajik forces and 10 Afghan nationals have been killed, he added.

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Baradar: Afghanistan is not an easy target, but a ‘bitter tree’

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Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, warned during a graduation ceremony for soldiers of the Ministry of National Defense that the Islamic Emirate will respond decisively to anyone with ill intentions toward Afghanistan.

He said the country is “not an easy target, but a bitter tree that has made the throats of empires bitter and newborns can never digest.”

Baradar also announced that in the coming days, the Islamic Emirate will introduce tax exemptions of one to five years for domestic and foreign investors, based on the level of investment in new sectors. He also said that the process of distribution of land to manufacturers will be accelerated.

Baradar called on countries to engage in political and economic relations according to the values and principles of the Islamic Emirate, emphasizing that energy and resources spent on conflict would be better used to support one another and strengthen common interests.

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Fourteen former Afghan government forces killed in last three months of 2025: UNAMA

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The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), in its latest report on the human rights situation in Afghanistan, stated that 14 members of the former Afghan government forces were killed in the last three months of 2025.

The report noted that during this period, there were 28 cases of arbitrary arrest and detention, and at least seven cases of torture and ill-treatment targeting officials and personnel of the former Afghan government.

According to the report, some of the officials and forces who had recently returned to Afghanistan from Iran and Pakistan were among those subjected to extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests, and detentions.

The report also highlighted restrictions on women’s work and movement, executions and flogging of individuals, and disruptions to internet and telecommunications services.

 

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