Welcome to The Azadi Briefing, an RFE/RL newsletter that unpacks the key issues in Afghanistan. To subscribe, click here.
I'm Abubakar Siddique, senior correspondent at RFE/RL's Radio Azadi. Here's what I've been tracking and what I'm watching in the days ahead.
The Key Issue
The Taliban's deputy foreign minister, Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, has called on his government to end its clampdown on the press in Afghanistan.
"Too many restrictions and hurdles for media organizations dampen their morale," he told a gathering in Kabul on December 18.
He said harassment prevents Afghan media from "courageously" reporting on critical issues or criticizing authorities.
"Trust them because they are our media," he said while arguing that allowing the Afghan media freedom is in the interest of the Taliban government.
Stanikzai is the first senior Taliban figure to publicly criticize his government's draconian crackdown on Afghanistan's once-vibrant press. He has also repeatedly called on Taliban leaders to repeal the ban on women's education because "no country can progress without education."
Why It's Important: Stanikazi's comments are another instance of dissent within the Islamist group over its hard-line policies.
It is another attempt to warn against the consequences of the Taliban's extremist policies, which have turned its government into an international pariah that no country has formally recognized.
Yet the Taliban government has systematically moved to completely dismantle the free press, which mushroomed under the pro-Western Afghan republic.
Earlier this year, the Taliban attempted to kill visual media by banning the depiction of all living things, including humans and animals.
The Taliban crackdown on journalists consists of harassment, beatings, and detentions, as well as the jailing of scores of journalists. Fear of Taliban harassment has prompted hundreds of Afghan correspondents to go into exile.
Independent Afghan media in the country now operate under severe Taliban restrictions and broad censorship.
After the Taliban banned a discussion of "sensitive topics and criticisms" of its government and leaders, several independent analysts have been jailed for expressing their views on air.
The Taliban government has banned some international broadcasters and denied visas to most international correspondents.
Global and Afghan media watchdogs have accused the group of attempting to turn the Afghan press into a "propaganda tool."
What's Next: Despite Stanikzai's criticism, the Taliban's overall approach and policies toward the Afghan media are unlikely to change soon.
Its government will continue to stifle independent Afghan media to gradually push it toward becoming its propaganda arm.
What To Keep An Eye On
Residents of the Afghan capital, Kabul, are paying for the increasing air pollution in the city.
Doctors in the city say respiratory diseases have swiftly risen as the air quality has deteriorated with the onset of winter in the mountainous city.
"Out of every 20 patients I see, 15 suffer from respiratory diseases," Abdul Hadi Sherzad, a doctor at a private hospital in Kabul, told RFE/RL's Radio Azadi.
This month, fuel prices have skyrocketed. Below-freezing nighttime temperatures prompt many of the city's impoverished residents to burn whatever they can find.
"People often burn car tires along with coal and wood," said Fariba, whose young son has contracted a lung infection because of air pollution, while her family cannot afford treatment.
Kabul is joining other major cities across South Asia, where air pollution is the worst globally, particularly during winter.
Why It's Important: Air pollution has become the No. 1 public-health hazard in Afghanistan's teeming capital.
Yet the cash-strapped Taliban government appears to be able to do little to mitigate the crisis, which is likely to cause many deaths this winter.
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. You can always reach us at azadi.english@rferl.org
The Azadi Briefing will next appear on January 10.
