News and Stories
6.3-Magnitude Quake Strikes Near Mazar-e Sharif in Northern Afghanistan.
At least 10 people were killed and about 260 others were injured after a powerful 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck near Mazar-e Sharif in northern Afghanistan overnight, officials from the National Disaster Management Authority said.
Over 5,000 Afghans repatriated as Torkham border reopens
The repatriation of Afghan refugees resumed at a rapid pace after the reopening of the Torkham border, with around 5,220 Afghan nationals returning to their homeland, authorities said on Sunday.
The Nangarhar Department of Disaster Management has reported that due to heavy rainfall today, flash floods in the districts of Goshta, Lalpur, Nazyan, Momandara, and Sherzad have taken the lives of two children, destroyed 280 residential homes, and wiped out thousands of acres of agricultural land.
According to Iran Front Page newspaper, the Deputy Governor of Iran’s Khorasan Razavi province reported that approximately 490,000 undocumented Afghans have voluntarily returned to Afghanistan via the Dogharoon border crossing over the past 100 days.
Amirullah Shamkhedari stated that the return process was conducted with full respect and human dignity. He also emphasized that in recent weeks, this border has witnessed the highest rate of Afghan returns.
From the 10th to the 12th of Saratan (July 1st to 3rd), an extreme heatwave is forecasted to affect all regions of Afghanistan. Temperatures across much of the country are expected to rise 2 to 10 degrees Celsius above normal.
Some areas in the southern, eastern, and northern parts of the country may experience temperatures exceeding 45°C.
This heatwave poses serious health risks for humans, animals, and plants.
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) urges the public to take the following precautions:
🔸 Drink plenty of water.
🔸 Take special care of the sick, pregnant women, children, and the elderly.
🔸 Avoid prolonged outdoor activities such as farming, herding, construction work, and long-distance walking.
🔸 Keep animals in shaded areas and ensure they have sufficient water.
Food Items: In the third week of June 2025, national average prices of most food items increased compared to the previous week. The ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel has disrupted trade and transit routes in Afghanistan’s southern and western provinces bordering Iran, leading to higher transportation costs, driven by the spike in fuel prices and increased market uncertainty. As Iran is a key entry point for imported goods into Afghanistan, concerns over further price increase have triggered speculative behaviour among wholesalers and traders, putting additional pressure on local markets. The recent surge in fuel prices, with Iran being a major supplier, is expected to affect the prices of other commodities in the coming weeks. While year-on-year comparisons show significant increases in the prices of cooking oil, salt, and both types of rice (Palawi and Sholae), prices of other food items have declined.
