Amu: Zalmay Khalilzad, the former US special envoy for Afghanistan, has returned to Kabul for the fourth time since the Taliban took power. In a statement, the Taliban-run foreign ministry said Khalilzad met their Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi to discuss “ways, opportunities and challenges” related to bilateral relations between the two sides. Click hereRead More...

Al Jazeera: Afghanistan’s cherished buzkashi tournament maintains its status as a traditional sport characterised by limited formal rules and fierce physical competition. In its classic format, two teams compete to score using what was traditionally a goat carcass, though contemporary matches utilise a leather-and-rope substitute filled with straw to replicate the weight of an animal.Read More...

Afghanistan International: The Taliban’s foreign minister has said that “malicious elements” are seeking to disrupt relations between the Taliban and Tajikistan, following the killing of Tajik border guards in an attack by militants who crossed from Afghan territory. Amir Khan Muttaqi said an investigation into the incident has begun and stressed that cooperation with TajikistanRead More...

Afghanistan International: The funeral ceremony was held on Saturday afternoon in the Chahardangeh area of Tehran, where mourners gathered in large numbers to pay their respects. Several Iranian media outlets have criticised the authorities’ silence over the assassinations of Taliban opponents, describing the group as an unreliable partner. Some newspapers have also questioned Iran’s decisionRead More...

By Abubakar Siddique, Farhad Shinwari and Norias Nori December 27, 2025 Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty For nearly two months, Sayed Wali, a young Afghan truck driver, has watched the sun rise, and the sun set in the fabled Khyber Pass, which connects western Pakistan to eastern Afghanistan. But he’s not here for the view. He’sRead More...



Amu: Afghanistan’s embassy in Japan, which is run by diplomats from the former government, said it will suspend all operations from Jan. 31, 2026. Japan’s embassy in Kabul has also been operating under a chargé d’affaires since the Taliban takeover. Click here to read more (external link).

The Guardian (UK): The peace of the graveyard has descended upon Afghanistan. “Afghanistan might seem safe now, there are not a lot of explosions, but it is a graveyard kind of security. The most peaceful place is the grave: there nobody protests,” says Dr Sima Samar. Samar has spent a lifetime working for the idealsRead More...



Tolo News: Following remarks by Maulana Fazlur Rehman, leader of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Pakistan, who condemned Pakistan’s strikes on Kabul and likened Islamabad’s approach to India’s attacks on Pakistan, Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif has now rejected the comparison. Khawaja Asif claimed that Pakistan’s operations against Afghanistan were targeted and specifically aimed at verified Tehrik-i-Taliban PakistanRead More...

Khaama: Afghan refugees in the United States have been asked to report to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) offices on Christmas Day, Afghan Evacuee Organization (Afghan Evac) said on Tuesday. The letters, dated December 25, instruct recipients to comply with a “scheduled reporting” requirement, prompting concern from advocates who note that federal courts andRead More...



Amu: Details of the meeting have not been made public, but the visit came days after Haqqani sharply criticised the Taliban’s style of governance in a speech in the eastern province of Khost on December 12. Following his trip to Kandahar, the Taliban’s traditional power centre, Haqqani struck a markedly different tone, publicly stressing obedienceRead More...

Afghanistan International: Pakistan’s army chief, Asim Munir, has warned the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) that no threat to Pakistan’s security and sovereignty will be tolerated, claiming that about 70 percent of the group’s fighters are Afghans. Munir described the TTP as a direct challenge to the Pakistani state and said restoring the writ of the governmentRead More...

Afghanistan International: The United Nations Security Council says the Taliban have dismissed thousands of their Tajik and Uzbek fighters, particularly in provinces with large Tajik and Uzbek populations. It follows a 20 percent reduction in the group’s security forces. Click here to read more (external link).

Khaama: Clashes erupted along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border in Kunar province on Wednesday afternoon, with Taliban forces and Pakistani border troops exchanging fire, according to local residents. The incident reportedly began after Pakistani forces fired rockets into Afghanistan territory, prompting retaliation from Taliban fighters. Officials have not yet confirmed casualties or material damage, and neither KabulRead More...

Afghanistan International: The United Nations Security Council says Taliban opposition groups carried out 116 attacks between January and July 2025, but that the violence remains sporadic and does not pose a serious threat to Taliban rule. In its report, the Security Council said the National Resistance Front (NRF) claimed responsibility for 73 attacks during theRead More...

Khaama: Germany has deported its first convicted Afghan migrant to Kabul following a recent agreement between Berlin and Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities, German media reported on Wednesday, December 17. According to the daily Bild, the individual was flown from the southern German state of Bavaria to Kabul early on Wednesday and handed over to Taliban officialsRead More...

Freedom Fighters of the Afghanistan Freedom Front carried out a targeted operation at approximately 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, December 16, 2025, against a Taliban Highways Battalion base located close to the police headquarters in Faryab province. As a result of this attack, two… pic.twitter.com/HwFSd4N1WO — Afghanistan Freedom Front (@FREEDOMFRONTAFG) December 17, 2025

NDTV: Pakistan’s mounting water crisis is likely to worsen, as the Taliban government in Afghanistan has decided to move ahead with its plans to divert water from the Kunar River towards the Nangarhar region in the country — a move that could sharply reduce downstream flows into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The development, which threatens to openRead More...

Afghanistan International: Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada has urged members of the group to “recognise their limits and authority” after assuming office, warning against discord, negligence and arbitrary conduct. His remarks follow comments by Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Taliban’s interior minister, who recently said the group governs through humiliation, violence, fear and intimidation. Click here to readRead More...

Amnesty: “Despite the Taliban’s well-documented repression of human rights, many states, including Iran, Pakistan, Turkey, Tajikistan Germany and Austria, are clamouring to deport Afghans to a country where violations particularly against women, girls and dissenting voices are widespread and systematic. This is without even mentioning the dire and deepening humanitarian crises, with more than 22Read More...

8am: For years, the Taliban repeatedly denied torturing or humiliating prisoners in their detention facilities. An audio document obtained by the Hasht-e Subh Daily challenges those claims. In the recording, a local Taliban official openly confirms that Taliban intelligence tortures detainees and carries out arbitrary arrests. The document reveals that many people are detained andRead More...

Afghanistan International: The Taliban’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Saturday it will not take part in a regional meeting on Afghanistan scheduled to be held in Tehran. Zia Ahmad Takal, deputy spokesperson for the ministry, said the Taliban had received an invitation but decided not to attend. According to Takal, the decision was basedRead More...

8am: Some residents of Kabul say that following the Taliban decision to cut fiber-optic internet in Afghanistan, the quality of internet services across the country has deteriorated. They add that this decline has disrupted their daily activities. According to them, they have repeatedly raised these challenges with internet service providers, but the companies have citedRead More...

Khaama: Taliban Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani said on Friday in Khost province that a government ruling through “fear and force” cannot be considered legitimate, implicitly acknowledging the use of intimidation by the Taliban. Speaking to a crowd of locals, Haqqani stressed that leaders should not humiliate or condemn citizens, and that a government should fosterRead More...

By Zhakfar Ahmadi Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty December 11, 2025 The Afghan Taliban’s dreaded morality police have arrested four young men for dressing like characters from the British TV series Peaky Blinders. The men were detained in the western Afghan city of Herat this week. The Taliban accused them of “promoting alien culture” after photos wentRead More...

Amu: Pakistan’s military said former Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Faiz Hameed has been sentenced to 14 years in prison after a special military court found him guilty on multiple charges, including political interference, breaching the Official Secrets Act and abuse of authority. According to Dawn, Hameed’s trial began in August 2024 and continued for aboutRead More...

Afghanistan International: The Afghanistan Freedom Front (AFF) has issued a statement calling for an international political process to end Taliban rule and pave the way for establishing a “democratic system based on the people’s vote” in Afghanistan. The statement, released on Wednesday, 10 December, to mark International Human Rights Day, notes that Afghanistan is notRead More...

8am: The Taliban started replacing their Tajik-origin fighters with Pashtun-origin ones after militants from the group killed five Chinese citizens in Tajikistan. Sources reveal that the group decided to transfer and disarm some Tajik-origin fighters. At the same time, they stripped local Taliban members of duties like collecting mine revenues and distributing land for extraction.Read More...

Afghanistan International: Abdullah Qarluq, spokesperson for the National Resistance Council for Salvation of Afghanistan, says three major political movements opposing the Taliban have reached an agreement and are speaking with a unified voice to address the current crisis. According to him, the National Resistance Council for Salvation of Afghanistan, the National Assembly for Salvation andRead More...

Amu: Two explosions struck a Taliban base in Afghanistan’s central Panjshir province on Monday night, killing at least eight Taliban members, multiple local sources told Amu, in one of the deadliest reported attacks in the area in recent months. The blasts occurred around 7:40 p.m. in the Manjinsto area of Abdullah Khil valley, where theRead More...

Afghanistan International: Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, the leader of Hezb-e Islami, has travelled to Malaysia for medical treatment, sources told Afghanistan International. The trip marks his first known foreign travel since the Taliban allegedly imposed restrictions on his movements last year. According to the sources, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim personally invited Hekmatyar. They said Ibrahim hasRead More...

8am: Residents across Ghazni province speak with deep worry about the industrial factories operating inside their neighborhoods. They say the rapid spread and constant work of these factories have filled the air with poison and pushed many families into serious health problems. Those who live closest to the factories suffer the most and pay theRead More...

Afghanistan International: Gul Hassan, the Taliban’s ambassador in Moscow, said Iran’s Chabahar port is becoming a key route for Afghanistan’s foreign trade, with daily commercial flows through the port increasing. Speaking at the Third International North–South Transport Corridor Forum in Russia, he said the Taliban is “working actively” with Iran and India on the ChabaharRead More...