Syria, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia.

Today's three stories you should know.

Syria

Ukraine isn’t the only country being hit by Russian air raids. At least 13 people were killed today after Russian jets bombed a busy market in rebel-held northwest Syria, according to activists and locals on the scene. Ahmed Yazji, a director of the Syria Civil Defence rescue group, also known as the White Helmets, said that air raids from both Russian and Syrian forces have been stepped up in recent days. Russia is a key ally of Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad and, along with Iran, has been key to him regaining control of almost the entire country after more than a decade of war.

More from The New Arab here.

Afghanistan

The Taliban’s supreme leader, Haibatullah Akhunzada, said today that women in Afghanistan have been living “comfortable and prosperous lives” since the group came to power. “The status of women as a free and dignified human being has been restored and all institutions have been obliged to help women in securing marriage, inheritance and other rights,” he said. The Taliban, though, has curtailed the rights of women and girls, banning girls from school and university, forbidding women from many public places and introducing strict dress codes. Akhunzada, who is rarely seen in public, also called for other countries to stop interfering in Afghan affairs.

More from AP here.

Saudi Arabia

The annual Muslim pilgrimage of Hajj has begun in Saudi Arabia with a record-breaking 2.5 million people from 160 countries expected to attend this year. Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam and all Muslims, though only if they have the means, are expected to perform it at least once. If you don’t know much about Hajj and would like to find out more, Al Jazeera has published a comprehensive explainer.

More from Al Jazeera here.