Story perspectives

UNESCO: 2.4 M Afghan girls barred; Taliban draws Chinese mining partners

8/12/2026

Summary

UNESCO Reports Ban

UNESCO reports that 2.4 million Afghan girls have been barred from secondary education since the Taliban seized power on Aug. 15, 2021.
UNESCO coordinator Hoda Jaberian says the five-year ban—Afghanistan’s only formal prohibition of girls and women from secondary and higher education—erases progress that had enrolled nearly 1 million girls by 2021.
UNESCO operates community-based learning, literacy and skills classes through more than 1,000 trained facilitators in local spaces and homes.

Summary

Taliban Expands Mining

The Taliban has expanded its mining sector, attracting Chinese firms despite limited official recognition.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid says the regime seeks relations with all nations, hosting envoys from China, Japan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Britain in Kabul.
Central Asian neighbours—Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan—met in Kabul to discuss trade routes that could give Afghanistan seaport access.

1 of 2

UNESCO Reports Ban

UNESCO reports that 2.4 million Afghan girls have been barred from secondary education since the Taliban seized power on Aug. 15, 2021.
UNESCO coordinator Hoda Jaberian says the five-year ban—Afghanistan’s only formal prohibition of girls and women from secondary and higher education—erases progress that had enrolled nearly 1 million girls by 2021.
UNESCO operates community-based learning, literacy and skills classes through more than 1,000 trained facilitators in local spaces and homes.

1 / 2