VOA News March 8, 2025 WASHINGTON — Four years ago, Yalda never imagined that she would not be able to continue her education or achieve her dream of graduating from school. “My parents would often talk about the Taliban’s first rule [in the 1990s],” recalled Yalda, who requested that her full name not be used forRead More...

Today, Afghan women face more than 100 restrictions — controlling everything from their appearance and movement to their right to work and study. Those accused of violating the Taliban’s so-called “morality laws” are often detained and arrested. What happens to those who suddenly find themselves behind bars in Taliban prisons? These stories often go untold,Read More...

By Sarah Zaman VOA News March 7, 2025 Just as discoveries of fossil fuel reserves helped to shape the 20th century, the race for critical minerals is shaping the 21st. These minerals are seen as strategically crucial for modern economies, including those used in construction, energy and manufacturing — particularly for semiconductors and other technologyRead More...

By Sarah Zaman VOA News March 7, 2025 ISLAMABAD — Pakistan ordered all documented Afghan migrants on Friday to leave the country by March 31 or risk deportation. The directive was issued a day after the Afghan Ministry of Refugee and Repatriation Affairs urged Pakistan to slow down the expulsion of Afghans. Pakistan launched the IllegalRead More...

8am: During 48 days of imprisonment in the Taliban Intelligence Directorate in Daykundi Province and three months in the Taliban’s Intelligence Directorate 40 in Kabul, they urinated on my face several times. They administered electric shocks to me over a hundred times and used contaminated water hoses to empty my stomach. Several times, they hungRead More...

Sarah Zaman VOA News March 6, 2025 ISLAMABAD — Afghanistan’s Taliban Thursday called on neighbors Pakistan and Iran to be patient with Afghan refugees and follow an organized process for their return, considering Afghanistan’s economic challenges. Pakistan and Iran have sent back more than 2.7 million Afghans to their home country since the 20-year U.S.-led warRead More...

Ariana: Sensational Afghan all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai has risen to the top of the ICC Men’s ODI All-Rounders Rankings after delivering phenomenal all-round performances in the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy 2025. He overtakes Mohammad Nabi who now sits at No. 2. Click here to read more (external link).

Long War Journal: “The fifth round of the Vienna Process brought together over 90 participants, making it the largest gathering on Afghanistan since 2021,” Ali Nazary, head of foreign relations for the National Resistance Front, an alliance of former Northern Alliance members and additional anti-Taliban fighters, told FDD’s Long War Journal. Click here to readRead More...

Amu: Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Taliban’s interior minister, has not returned to Afghanistan more than 40 days after traveling to the United Arab Emirates, sources told Amu TV. Haqqani, who left for the UAE on Jan. 22, remains outside the country as reports of growing tensions within the Taliban leadership continue to emerge. Click here toRead More...

8am: U.S. and international financial aid to Afghanistan is helping strengthen the Taliban’s power, former Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction John F. Sopko revealed. “The Taliban have cynically benefited from our desire to help,” Sopko said at the Herat Security Dialogue XII in Madrid, Spain, last week. “Our assistance has allowed the regime toRead More...

8am: Donald Trump, the President of the United States, has emphasized the necessity of reclaiming American military equipment from the Taliban twice in the past week during two important meetings. He had previously made such remarks on one occasion, but this time, he issued the warning with clearer language and more details. He even assignedRead More...

Amu: A new report from the United Nations Children’s Fund warns that malnutrition rates among children and pregnant women in Afghanistan have surged, driven by prolonged food insecurity, inadequate access to clean water and sanitation, and limited healthcare services. The report, released by UNICEF, found that the number of Afghan districts classified at Level 4—theRead More...



Afghanistan International: On Saturday, Whitney Wright, an American adult film star, shared new photos from her visit to various Afghan cities. In one image, she is seen holding an AK-47 rifle, suggesting that she is travelling under Taliban security. Under Taliban-imposed restrictions, Afghan women are not permitted to travel more than 72 kilometres alone withoutRead More...

Ayaz Gul VOA News March 2, 2025 Islamabad — Taliban officials have denied President Donald Trump’s recent assertions that China holds control over a crucial former U.S.-operated military base in Afghanistan. The sprawling Bagram Air Base in question, situated about 44 kilometers north of the national capital of Kabul, served as the central command for theRead More...

Afghanistan International: Local sources in Takhar province report that Abdul Nasir, a resident of Farkhar district, has died as a result of torture by the Taliban’s intelligence forces. This is not the first case of a detainee dying in Taliban custody. Over the past three years, numerous reports have surfaced of individuals dying due toRead More...



Afghanistan International: The Afghanistan Freedom Front (AFF) has announced a temporary suspension of military operations against the Taliban until the end of Ramadan. In an official statement, the group declared that it will refrain from conducting military actions as long as its forces are not attacked and its bases and positions remain free from directRead More...

Michael Hughes: Trump 2.0 and Taliban 2.0 were likely destined to clash, but who knew the unlikely bedfellows would kill their marriage within weeks of the Dealmaker-In-Chief reentering the Oval Office. We knew Trump would go after the $7 billion in military aid the U.S. left behind in Afghanistan, but less foreseeable was the radicalRead More...

Afghanistan International: The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), in its annual Democracy Index 2024 report, has ranked Afghanistan as the most authoritarian country in the world, placing it last among 167 nations. The report, published by the research division of The Economist magazine, awarded Afghanistan a score of just 0.25 out of 10, highlighting the extremeRead More...

Afghanistan International: The Afghanistan Freedom Front (AFF) has claimed responsibility for an explosion in Kunduz province, stating that its forces targeted a Taliban special forces convoy. On Friday, the AFF announced that the attack took place on Thursday evening in the Golayi Bandar Khanabad area of Kunduz, killing four Taliban fighters and injuring two others.Read More...

By RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi February 28, 2025 Afghanistan’s hard-line Islamist Taliban rulers say they no longer consider the Doha agreement — a peace deal with the United States that paved the way for the withdrawal of Western forces from the country — to be valid. Speaking on February 28, the fifth anniversary of the agreement, chiefRead More...

Amu: Afghanistan secured a dramatic eight-run victory over England in the ICC Champions Trophy, knocking the defending champions out of the tournament and keeping their own hopes alive. This marks Afghanistan’s first win in the competition after suffering a defeat against South Africa in their opening match. Click here to read more (external link). MoreRead More...

Times of India: In Afghanistan, the brutal tradition of Bacha Bazi—the sexual exploitation of young boys—continues to thrive despite official bans and international condemnation. Footage, shared by British journalist and writer David Patrikarakos on social media, showed boys forced to dance for the Taliban, a harrowing precursor to systematic abuse. After the Taliban took controlRead More...

By Sarah Zaman VOA News February 27, 2025 ISLAMABAD — Sana Safi, a young a doctor in Afghanistan, takes pride in her work, for she is among a shrinking group of female health experts in a country where women are banned from pursuing education or working in most sectors. “I am making a real difference in theRead More...

Ayaz Gul VOA News February 26, 2025 ISLAMABAD — Uzbekistan and Pakistan agreed to establish a tripartite committee with Afghanistan to address issues that are hindering the implementation of a proposed railway project connecting the three countries. Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev reported the development after delegation-level talks with Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Tashkent, emphasizingRead More...

Afghanistan International: At least 15 people have died and 19 others have been injured following severe flooding in Helmand and Kandahar provinces, Taliban officials confirmed. The heavy rainfall and resulting floods have also caused extensive financial and infrastructural damage in both regions. On Wednesday, the Taliban’s police command in Kandahar issued a statement reporting thatRead More...

Amu: At least 21 people were killed after sudden flash floods swept through a mountainous area in Qala-e-Kah district of western Farah province, local sources told Amu. The victims, who had traveled to the area for leisure, were caught off guard when the floods surged unexpectedly, throwing them into a deep ravine, the sources said.Read More...