After a year of unprecedented trade and breaking ground on high-profile mining projects in 2024, there’s new momentum for Beijing’s growing role in Afghanistan and deepening ties with the Taliban. But can the hard-line group finally calm China’s longstanding security concerns and unleash a wave of much-needed investment?

By RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi and Abubakar Siddique Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty January 12, 2025 Shah Agha is one of more than 100,000 Afghans living with injuries caused by land mines. He lost his leg to a mine during the anti-Soviet war in the 1980s in his native Kunduz Province in northern Afghanistan. In 2015, anotherRead More...



Afghanistan International: Ali Maisam Nazary, the head of foreign relations of the National Resistance Front (NRF) of Afghanistan, says he hopes the new US administration led by Donald Trump will support the resistance to topple the Taliban. Nazary called on Trump to consider the National Resistance Front as a partner of the United States inRead More...

By Farangis Najibullah, Alisher Zarifi and Mullorajab Yusufzoda Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty January 11, 2025 Tamkin Mehrabuddin and her sister were preparing lunch in their home in Tajikistan when police officers knocked on their door. The two Afghan women were ordered to accompany them to a police station in Dushanbe, the Tajik capital. Instead, theyRead More...

Ayaz Gul VOA News January 10, 2025 ISLAMABAD — A high court in Pakistan prohibited authorities Friday from forcibly deporting Afghan musicians and singers until their asylum cases are resolved within the next two months. The ruling comes amid a crackdown on hundreds of thousands of refugees from neighboring Afghanistan who either lack legal permits toRead More...

Ariana: Afghanistan’s passport has been ranked the least powerful in the world, securing the 106th spot on the latest Henley Passport Index. This ranking highlights the severe travel restrictions faced by Afghan citizens, who can only access 26 countries without a visa. At the opposite end of the spectrum, Singapore boasts the world’s most powerfulRead More...

Afghanistan International: Abbas Stanekzai, the Taliban’s deputy foreign minister, said that the group has evidence that ISIS has training centres in Pakistan. He has claimed that the Pakistani army is training ISIS fighters at these shelters. Abbas Stanekzai wrote on the social media platform X on Friday, January 10, that the Pakistani army is supplyingRead More...

Ayaz Gul VOA News January 8, 2025 ISLAMABAD — India pledged Wednesday to collaborate with Taliban-ruled Afghanistan to undertake development projects in the impoverished nation that has endured years of devastating war and natural disasters. The pledge stemmed from a Wednesday meeting in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, between Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and Taliban ForeignRead More...

8am: Following the Taliban’s announcement that the construction of the Pashdan Dam in Herat is 80% complete and will soon become operational, a wave of criticism emerged from the Islamic Republic of Iran. Eisa Bozorgzadeh, spokesperson for Iran’s water industry, stated that this dam would severely affect the drinking water supply for millions of IraniansRead More...

Afghanistan International: Local sources from Baghlan province report that armed assailants carried out an attack on Tuesday night in the Baghlan-e-Markazi district, killing a pro-Taliban cleric and wounding another individual. The attack was claimed by ISIS. According to reports received by Afghanistan International, the attack targeted Abdul Razzaq, an imam and religious teacher, while HamdullahRead More...

Amu: President-elect Donald Trump sharply criticized the Biden administration on Tuesday, claiming that billions of U.S. dollars are being funneled to “the Taliban Afghanistan”. “It’s not even believable. Billions of dollars, not millions—billions,” Mr. Trump said. “We pay billions of dollars to essentially the Taliban Afghanistan. And that’s given by Biden.” This comes after debateRead More...

Tolo News: The Islamic Emirate’s embassy in Pakistan has reported the arrest of nearly 800 Afghan citizens in Islamabad, the capital. Sardar Ahmad Shakeeb, acting ambassador of the Islamic Emirate in Islamabad, said that despite possessing visas and residency documents, Afghan citizens were detained by Pakistani police. “The number of those detained is between 700Read More...

Afghanistan International: Michael McCaul, former chairman of the US House Foreign Relations Committee, warned that ISIS has been revived in Afghanistan under the control of the Taliban. McCaul said that the Trump administration, which will begin its work soon, should take the growing threat of ISIS-K seriously and take action against it. “Another issue thatRead More...

Ariana: Afghanistan secured victory on Monday against Zimbabwe in their second test match, winning by 72 runs in just 15 balls at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo.  Rashid Khan played a key role, claiming 7-66 and helping Afghanistan clinch the series.  This marks Afghanistan’s fourth test win since obtaining test status in 2017. Click hereRead More...

Ariana: Iran’s foreign ministry said on Monday Tehran will use all means to restore its water rights from Afghanistan and that the Islamic Emirate should take the issue seriously. Ismail Baqaei, the spokesman for the foreign ministry, said in response to a question at a press conference on the construction of water dams in Afghanistan,Read More...

Ariana: Three wickets in the last hour of play for Rashid Khan put Afghanistan on the cusp of victory in the second test against Zimbabwe at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo, with the home team still 73 runs shy of their target at the close of day four. Zimbabwe were 205 for eight at stumpsRead More...



Amu: Rana Sanaullah, Special Assistant to the Pakistani Prime Minister on Political Affairs, has warned that Pakistan may once again carry out cross-border operations in Afghanistan as part of its counterterrorism efforts if its security is threatened. Speaking to Pakistan’s Sama TV, Sanaullah referenced recent Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan’s Barmal district of Paktika Province, assertingRead More...

Amu: Afghanistan’s vast mineral wealth, which includes copper, lithium, and rare earth elements, has long been viewed as a potential driver of economic growth. However, the secrecy surrounding mining revenues under Taliban rule has raised fears of resource mismanagement. Click here to read more (external link).

8am: Several former military personnel and their family members have complained about extortion, torture, and retaliation by the Taliban. Some relatives of these ex-soldiers report that in recent weeks, the Taliban have harassed former security forces and their families in various ways. In less than a month, the group has accused at least ten formerRead More...

Afghanistan International: Ali Maisam Nazary, the head of foreign relations of the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (NRF), said that Ansarullah wants to overthrow the government of Tajikistan by using the flag of ISIS and following the Taliban. Ansarullah uses the ISIS flag, but is loyal to the Taliban and al-Qaeda, Nazari said. Click hereRead More...

Khaama: International media has reported that the relationship between the Taliban and Pakistan has significantly weakened due to the intensifying insecurity in the region. Pakistan is now acknowledging that its initial support for the Taliban was a critical strategic misstep. Click here to read more (external link). Related Pakistani police claim 35 percent of militantsRead More...

The Conversation: The economic cost could potentially reach over a billion dollars – and this doesn’t include the wider social costs associated with lower levels of education for women. For context, Afghanistan’s entire gross domestic product was just $17 billion in 2023. Our study demonstrates how catastrophic the newest education ban could be, not justRead More...

Michael Hughes: Islamabad appears to be laying the groundwork for regional partnerships to strangle Afghanistan from all sides as tensions escalate with the Taliban over cross-border attacks resulting in decade-high deaths of Pakistani troops. However, although Pakistan has found a willing ally in Tajikistan, it will be harder to secure cooperation from other actors inRead More...

Amu: Pakistan’s deputy prime minister and foreign minister, Ishaq Dar, sharply criticized the country’s previous leadership on Thursday, alleging that hasty and informal decisions facilitated the return of thousands of members of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) into the country..Speaking during a briefing, Mr. Dar attributed the re-entry of 35,000 to 40,000 TTP fighters to poorlyRead More...

AFP: Musicians play behind closed doors despite a ban on music in Afghanistan and a maker of stringed instrument the rubab refuses to down tools. Click here to read more (external link).

Afghanistan International: Manawi said in an interview with Afghanistan International on Wednesday that Khalil Haqqani was not a supporter of war and that they received repeated calls from him when the war was underway in Panjshir. He clarified that Haqqani’s efforts to prevent war and stand his ground continued until the last moment. Click hereRead More...

Afghanistan International: Anwar Zeb Khan, a representative of Bajaur in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Provincial Assembly of Pakistan, has revealed that hundreds of insurgents from Afghanistan have entered the Bajaur region and seized control of five checkpoints. According to Khan, the insurgents have raised the flag of the Afghan Taliban in the area. Click here toRead More...



8am: Top officials allot and divide mines among themselves, focusing on filling their pockets, and disregarding national resources and future generations. Remaining revenue funds terrorist plans, reinforcing the totalitarian and tribal regime, expanding terrorist activities in Afghanistan and the region, and even financing al-Qaeda and other terror groups. In return, al-Qaeda and other groups provideRead More...