Herat, Afghanistan – At the Islam Qala border, the relentless wind carries stinging dust that clings to skin as temperatures soar to 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), transforming the ground into a scorching furnace. Families huddle in narrow strips of shade, children protecting their faces with scarves as they await assistance. For many, this…
Khas Kunar, Afghanistan – When the ground shook beneath Andarlachak village in the Diwa Gul Valley on August 31, the already precarious lives of its residents collapsed along with the walls of their homes. “Our houses now have huge cracks or collapsed walls. We can’t stay in our homes. The beams have cracked,” said Abdul…
Yogita LimayeSouth Asia and Afghanistan correspondent Aakriti Thapar / BBC When Shahnaz went into labour, her husband Abdul called a taxi to take them to the only medical facility accessible to them. “She was in a lot pain,” he says. A 20-minute drive away, the clinic was in Shesh Pol village in Afghanistan’s north-eastern Badakhshan…
Thousands are being forced to go back to Afghanistan as Tehran tightens controls on immigration. For decades, tens of thousands of Afghans – who have fled war and poverty and sought a better future – have crossed into neighbouring Iran. Tehran has largely been lenient towards members of this community. But in recent years, Iranians…
