PUl-E-KHUMRI - Government officials, civil society members, teachers, activists and other community leaders gathered in Afghanistan’s northeast to discuss recent efforts to improve protections for women’s rights.

KUNDUZ - Participants at a series of UN-backed events in Afghanistan’s northeast say they support national peace efforts but only if they are fully inclusive, representing all segments of Afghan society, female and male alike, to ensure a lasting outcome.

LASHKAR GAH - Peace remains the top priority for Afghans, said a group of religious scholars during a UN-backed jirga in Lashkar Gah, capital of the southern province of Helmand.