The Ministry of Information and Culture announced this week it has established a new administrative office called the Directorate for the Preservation of Jihadi Values.

Acting Minister of Information and Culture Khairullah Khairkhwa said this directorate is tasked with “keeping alive the values of jihad and its history.”

Khairkhwa outlined the directorate’s three main functions: producing audio-visual content, establishing a “jihadi museum,” and documenting historical events.

He stated the museum would collect and archive artifacts from Afghanistan’s conflicts with Britain, the Soviet Union, and the United States.

He stressed that jihadi museums will also be built in the capital, and in provinces, to collect and display works related to jihad.

Imangali Tasmagambetov, the Secretary General of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), has said the plan to strengthen the border between Tajikistan and Afghanistan will be approved later this month.

In an interview with STV Belarus, Tasmagambetov said: "The Collective Security Treaty Organization will approve the plan to strengthen the border between Tajikistan and Afghanistan on November 28 at a meeting in Astana."

He stated that the presence of militant groups in Afghanistan was a serious problem and that the approval of the plan to strengthen Tajikistan's border with Afghanistan will allow member countries of the Collective Security Treaty Organization to jointly guarantee the security of Central Asian countries.

The CSTO has on a number of occasions expressed concern about the security situation in Afghanistan.

The Islamic Emirate however, has repeatedly rejected claims of militant groups in Afghanistan and has said that the IEA will not allow any group to plan or carry out attacks from Afghanistan soil.

Tasmagambetov also discussed other challenges the organization faces.

“The CSTO is not an aggressive bloc. The task of the Collective Security Treaty Organization is to protect the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of the member states that are part of our organization.

“If we talk directly about the challenges and threats, these are primarily transnational terrorism, religious extremism, drug trafficking, illegal arms trafficking and illegal migration. We are working very seriously in all these areas,” he said.

The United Nations in Afghanistan has called on the Islamic Emirate to take immediate action to end violence against women and girls and to reverse the systematic erosion of women’s rights that fosters such violence.

According to a statement issued by the UN, Afghanistan continues to have high rates of violence against women, which is exacerbated by the ongoing discrimination against women across all areas of life. 

"We are at a critical juncture for the women and girls of Afghanistan. We need urgent action for justice to end violence against women and girls in Afghanistan,” said Roza Otunbayeva, Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Afghanistan.

The UN’s statement marks the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and the start of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence campaign. 

This global campaign runs from November 25 - International Day for Ending Violence Against Women - to December 10, Human Rights Day. 

“The fact that Afghan women and girls have less rights today than generations ago is a devastating reminder of the urgency of their struggle and the need for the international community to double down our efforts to stand with them, investing in their resilience, leadership and empowerment," said Alison Davidian, the Special Representative for UN Women in Afghanistan.

The Islamic Emirate has however stated on numerous occasions that women’s rights in Afghanistan are ensured in accordance with Sharia.