Afghanistan, Sudan, Syria
Today's three stories you should know
Afghanistan
The death toll from a Pakistani air strike on a hospital treating drug users in Afghanistan’s capital Kabul has risen to 400, the Taliban government said. Pakistan derided the statement as “false and aimed at misleading public opinion” and said it hit military infrastructure. Footage from the scene of the Omar Addiction Treatment Hospital showed massive damage to the building and distressed family members of patients gathering outside. Violence between the neighbors erupted last month when Islamabad launched bombing raids on Afghanistan, which it said were aimed at Pakistani rebels it accuses Kabul of harboring, prompting retaliatory attacks from the Taliban.
More from Al Jazeera here.
Proximities Picks
The Gulf has transformed from a bustling economic hub to the front line of a major war. Semafor Gulf is here to help you make sense of it. Editor Mohammed Sergie and his team across Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Riyadh will connect you with what’s happening on the ground. Subscribe for free.
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Sudan
Medical clinics in Sudan could run out of supplies within two weeks due to the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran unless shipments can be rerouted, according to the Save the Children charity. War broke out in Sudan three years ago when the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group and the military-led government, former allies, fell out over plans to integrate the RSF into the army. The conflict has caused the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, and more than 40 percent of the population is now food insecure. The war in the Middle East has disrupted global supply chains with the halt of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, rising transport costs and airspace closures. Save the Children said about 90 Sudanese government-run clinics treating roughly 400,000 patients rely on the aid group’s supply of medicines, vaccines and malnutrition treatments.
More from Reuters here.
Syria
Syria has banned the sale of alcohol in the capital Damascus except in three Christian neighborhoods, where it will only be permitted for sale in specific establishments that must be “sealed” and only offer it for takeaway. Businesses including restaurants and nightclubs in the city have three months to comply with the new regulations. The government of President Ahmed al-Shara, a former al-Qaeda leader, indicated it would not impose social restrictions when it came to power in December 2024 after more than a decade of civil war, but it has since introduced measures such as a ban on female public sector employees wearing makeup. The order is likely to be received as an attack on civil liberties by several ethnic and religious minorities, including secular Sunnis.
More from Middle East Eye here.