Azadi Briefing

Welcome to The Azadi Briefing, an RFE/RL newsletter that unpacks the key issues in Afghanistan. To subscribe, click here.

I'm Abubakar Siddique, a senior correspondent at RFE/RL's Radio Azadi. Here's what I've been tracking and what I'm keeping an eye on in the days ahead.

The Key Issue

The United Nations and international rights groups have called for an investigation into reports that Iranian border guards fired on and killed Afghan migrants seeking to cross into Iran from Pakistan.

Local reports and rights groups say the incident occurred on October 13 in the Saravan district of Iran’s southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchistan, an impoverished and volatile region.

The Taliban government in Afghanistan says it has launched an investigation. Iranian officials have denied that the incident took place.

Haalvsh, a Baluch rights group, said gunshots and rocket-propelled grenades fired by Iranian forces killed dozens of Afghans. RFE/RL was unable to independently verify the group's claim.

Videos posted on social media appeared to show images of dozens of corpses wrapped in white cloth strewn on the road. RFE/RL was unable to independently verify the veracity of the video.

Taj Mohammad, a resident of the northern province of Balkh, said his cousin was killed in the incident. "We want international organizations and the government in Afghanistan to probe this incident," he told RFE/RL's Radio Azadi.

Jamaluddin, another resident of Balkh, said his son was killed in the incident. "The [Taliban] government does not ask and does nothing."

Why It's Important: Millions of Afghan migrants and refugees have fled to Iran -- either through Afghanistan or Pakistan -- since the collapse of the Western-backed Afghan government and the Taliban's seizure of power in 2021.

Many Afghans in Iran have complained of increasing violence and harassment at the hands of Iranian authorities, who have deported over 1 million Afghans in the past year.

Richard Bennett, the UN special human rights rapporteur in Afghanistan, said on X that he was "seriously concerned" about the reports and urged Iran to "investigate transparently."

"Clarity is urgently needed. These reports don't stand in isolation. More dignity and safety is needed for Afghans worldwide," he said on October 16.

What's Next: If the incident is confirmed, Iran is likely to face international pressure over its treatment of the estimated 4 million Afghans living in the Islamic republic.

The incident could also strain ties between the Taliban and Iran. The sides have engaged in deadly border clashes in recent years.

What To Keep An Eye On

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has warned of rapidly rising malnutrition among Afghan children.

The world's largest humanitarian network said on October 17 that clinics in the country were recording "alarming" cases of acute child malnutrition.

The cases are much more frequent among communities suffering from falling incomes, climate-induced natural disasters, and the consequences of decades of fighting, it said.

"The scale of malnutrition in our country is staggering," said Mohammad Nabi Burhan, secretary-general of the Afghan Red Crescent Society. "Severe acute malnutrition can be fatal if left untreated."

In May, Save the Children warned that three out of 10 -- or some 6.5. million Afghan children --will suffer from "crisis or emergency levels of hunger" this year.

According to the UN children agency, UNICEF, some 815,000 children from six months to 5 years old were admitted for "severe wasting," meaning their body parts had become weaker because of malnutrition.

Why It's Important: Afghanistan is the world's largest humanitarian crisis.

As international funding recedes, an increasing number of Afghan children are likely to die of malnutrition and diseases.

That's all from me for now.

Don't forget to send me any questions, comments, or tips that you have. You can always reach us at azadi.english@rferl.org

Until next time,

Abubakar Siddique

If you enjoyed this briefing and don't want to miss the next edition, subscribe here. It will be sent to your inbox every Friday.

Welcome to The Azadi Briefing, an RFE/RL newsletter that unpacks the key issues in Afghanistan. To subscribe, click here.

I'm Abubakar Siddique, a senior correspondent at RFE/RL's Radio Azadi. Here's what I've been tracking and what I'm keeping an eye on in the days ahead.

The Key Issue

The Taliban has threatened Afghan women who served in the police force under the previous Western-backed government, according to a new report by Human Rights Watch (HRW).

The threats have forced hundreds of former Afghan policewomen, who were trained by the United States and its allies, to go into hiding, the global rights watchdog said.

HRW said some of the women have received threatening phone calls from Taliban officials who summoned them for questioning or warned them of unspecified consequences for their previous work.

Under the Taliban, some former policewomen in the culturally and religiously conservative country have been apparently killed by their own relatives for bringing “shame” to the families, HRW said.

Many former policewomen have sought refuge in neighboring Iran or Pakistan, or tried to obtain asylum in the West.

Why It's Important: HRW’s report highlights the dangers facing members of Afghanistan’s former armed forces.

After seizing power in 2021, the Taliban announced a blanket amnesty that included all Afghan officials, security forces, and individuals who cooperated with the departed U.S.-led military presence in Afghanistan.

But international rights watchdogs and the United Nations have documented widespread cases of retribution -- including extrajudicial killings and torture.

Before the Taliban takeover, Afghan policewomen suffered widespread sexual abuse and harassment, HRW said.

Afghan policewomen have been “doubly betrayed,” first by the former Afghan government and then by Western nations that ignored the abuse and have not granted them asylum, said Fereshta Abbasi, Afghanistan researcher at HRW.

What's Next: HRW has called on Western nations that helped train and hire former Afghan policewomen, including the United States, to resettle them.

But it is unclear if the United States and European countries are willing or able to grant asylum to the women, some of whom remain inside Afghanistan.

What To Keep An Eye On

Germany has announced that it is planning to deport more Afghans to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.

German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser told parliament on October 9 that Afghans convicted of serious crimes in Germany would be deported.

In August, Berlin deported 28 Afghan citizens for the first time since the Taliban takeover. The authorities said all were convicted criminals, although they did not disclose their crimes.

Why It's Important: Germany has granted asylum to tens of thousands of at-risk Afghans in recent years.

But Berlin has tightened the country's asylum policies as anti-immigration parties rise in popularity.

Germany’s announcement of more deportations has fueled panic among the country's large Afghan community -- which numbers around 475,000. Many Afghans fear they could be next.

“I am apprehensive about this unfolding situation,” an Afghan asylum seeker in Germany, speaking on condition of anonymity, told RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi.

“We all should not be punished for the mistakes of individuals,” said another asylum seeker.

That's all from me for now.

Don't forget to send me any questions, comments, or tips that you have. You can always reach us at azadi.english@rferl.org

Until next time,

Abubakar Siddique

If you enjoyed this briefing and don't want to miss the next edition, subscribe here. It will be sent to your inbox every Friday.