Afghan civilians now main victims of US air strikes

In January 2017, an all-female orchestra from Afghanistan performed for world leaders at the World Economic Forum, a symbol of just how far the country had come since the dark days of the Taliban. Viola player Zarifa Adiba was just 18 years old when she led that orchestra in Switzerland. Her memoir, which has just been published in French, is an extraordinary account of how music offered her a chance to show herself, her family and the world what Afghan women are capable of. She joined us for Perspective and told us about her fears for Afghan women and girls, now that the Taliban are in charge once again.

The Taliban government leader asked for international aid and access to about $10 billion in funds frozen after the insurgents took over the country in August. The UN is warning half the country could starve this winter.

The war-torn country's health system has been facing a severe crisis since the Taliban takeover, which resulted in the suspension of much-needed international aid.

After the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan, thousands have been evacuated to Europe. Paralympic wheelchair basketball player Nilofar Bayat and her husband are now living in the Spanish city of Bilbao – making a fresh start on the court.

Initial restrictions imposed by the Taliban after their takeover mostly targeted urban women. Now, the expanded rules could affect all women in Afghanistan.

Professor Faizullah Jalal has openly criticized the Taliban since the group took over Afghanistan last year. However, his family disputed the posts which the Taliban claim he made on social media.

FRANCE 24 spoke to Mahbouba Seraj, a leading women's rights activist in Afghanistan. She told us the Taliban have to "give in" on "red lines" such as women's access to education and work in order to "continue governing". With Afghanistan in dire need of financial assistance, Seraj said she was "angry at the whole world", especially US President Joe Biden. "You cannot let the people of this country die," she said in an emotional plea to the international community.

For over a century, Afghanistan's rulers and ethnic groups have been arguing about what women should do and how they should be. Women haven't had much say.

Speaking to DW, former Afghan MP Mariam Solaimankhil blamed Pakistan, particularly its spy agencies, for the Taliban's seizure of power in Afghanistan. She also stressed that "people around the former president Ghani" brought the country down.

Germany faces a lawsuit which demands Berlin grant visas and refuge to former police trainers who had worked for the German development agency GIZ in Afghanistan.

We focus on the plight of women in Afghanistan six months after the Taliban retook the country. For those women and girls left behind, many have found their lives shrunk to the four walls of their homes, either due to losing their jobs or being unable to continue their education. This as a number of women's rights activists have gone missing in recent weeks as the Taliban continue to seek international recognition.

Six months after the Taliban took over Afghanistan, the health system is collapsing. Amid the deteriorating humanitarian situation, a raging measles outbreak has already killed more than 150 people and infected tens of thousands more in January alone. Measles is not the only sanitary threat facing young children in the country.