By Ayaz Gul VOA News December 13, 2024 ISLAMABAD — The recent assassination of a Taliban minister in Afghanistan by a local Islamic State offshoot has raised concerns about the terrorist network’s expansion in the region, while signifying an escalation of the terror group’s conflict with the country’s de facto Taliban leaders. Taliban Minister of Refugees andRead More...

8am: Over the past three years, the Taliban’s restrictive policies on women have significantly disrupted Afghanistan’s healthcare system. These policies include bans on medical education and training for women, restrictions on women entering specialized medical programs, replacing doctors with clerics in healthcare management, prohibiting simultaneous visits of men and women to hospitals in some provinces,Read More...

Afghanistan International: Tim Burchett, a pro-Trump representative in the US Congress, told Afghanistan International that he had invited Ahmad Massoud, the leader of the National Resistance Front (NRF), to visit Washington and discuss Afghanistan. “I also invite the leaders of other groups opposed to the Taliban,” he added. Burchett had previously invited Amrullah Saleh, theRead More...

8am: An audio recording of a speech by Hibatullah Akhundzada, the Taliban Supreme Leader, has been obtained by the Hasht-e Subh Daily, in which he issued an order to close all schools, including both girls’ and boys’ schools, in Afghanistan. In the speech, Akhundzada compares the concept of school with that of a madrassa, statingRead More...

Ayaz Gul VOA News December 10, 2024 Islamabad — The United Nations reported Tuesday that women and girls are bearing the brunt of a persistent “dangerous erosion” of human rights in Afghanistan, attributing the crisis to an “intentional failure” of the country’s radical Taliban leaders. “With authority comes responsibility,” said Roza Otunbayeva, the head of theRead More...

Afghanistan International: Zia-ul-Haq Amarkhil, the former governor of Nangarhar, has accused the Taliban regime of marginalising the Afghan people and ignoring their voices. Amarkhil asserted that neglecting public demands has created a significant divide between the populace and the ruling authorities. Click here to read more (external link).



Afghanistan International: This research is based on interviews with 38 individuals who had been detained and tortured by the agents of the Taliban’s intelligence agency. It also includes data from petitions given to the Taliban’s Administrative Office of Appeals, wherein released detainees documented their imprisonment and the torture they suffered at the hands of theRead More...



Amu: Clashes between Taliban forces and ISIS-K fighters in Afghanistan’s northern Faryab Province left four people dead, local sources confirmed on Saturday. The skirmishes occurred late Friday in the Qarai area of Almar district, resulting in the deaths of three Taliban members and one ISIS-K affiliate. Additionally, four Taliban fighters and two civilians were woundedRead More...

8am: Sources from the Jaghori district confirm that several construction projects remain incomplete this year due to Taliban extortion. These sources explain that the lack of sufficient funding has halted implementation and that the Taliban district governor collects the money. Click here to read more (external link).

Michael Hughes: Nearly 23 million vulnerable Afghans, most of them children, will likely suffer more than usual this winter because the Taliban have intensified restrictions that hinder UN aid delivery. “In 2025, 22.9 million people [in Afghanistan] will require humanitarian assistance, including 12.4 million children,” UNICEF said in a statement released on December 5. “TheRead More...

euro news: The former German chancellor was the last witness to testify before a parliamentary inquiry committee on the German military’s role in the Western withdrawal from Afghanistan during the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul in 2021. Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel told a parliamentary inquiry on Thursday that the hasty withdrawal of Western troops fromRead More...

Amu: Karim Khan, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), met with Afghan women’s rights activists on Friday to underscore the court’s focus on addressing gender-based crimes in Afghanistan. In a statement posted on X, the ICC said, “Alongside victims and civil society, the Office of the Prosecutor has prioritized action on gender-basedRead More...

Amu: A group of prominent political leaders has announced the formation of a new coalition, the National Assembly for the Salvation of Afghanistan, aimed at addressing the country’s current crisis and opposing Taliban rule. The coalition, unveiled during a virtual meeting on Friday, includes key political figures such as Ahmad Massoud, Atta Mohammad Noor, MarshalRead More...

AP: The Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice alleged that Arezo TV in Kabul was working with media outside Afghanistan and that it was paying temporary workers to dub “vulgar serials and programs” that went against Islamic and Afghan principles and traditions. Afghanistan fares poorly in terms of press freedom, withRead More...

The Spectator: Since withdrawing, the United States has pumped in more than $20 billion in aid. Separately, tens of millions of dollars are delivered monthly in cash, ostensibly for humanitarian organisations, though much is pilfered by the Taliban. Click here to read more (external link).

Afghanistan International: With these changes, it seems that Hibatullah is trying to expand and consolidate his influence. One-third of these appointments have been made in Afghanistan’s southern provinces. Hibatullah has appointed and replaced dozens of people, including ministers, deputies, and commanders of the Taliban’s army. Many of these appointments are made not on the basisRead More...

Amu: The UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has inscribed the art of crafting and playing the rubab as an Intangible Cultural Heritage, recognizing Afghanistan and its neighbors Iran, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Rubab is one of the oldest musical instruments in Central, South, and Southwest Asia. Crafted from dried mulberry wood collected in deserts,Read More...

Afghanistan International: The Afghanistan Freedom Front (AFF) announced that on Tuesday evening, it targeted the convoy of intelligence forces of the Taliban in Khair Khana area of Kabul. This front published a video and claimed that five Taliban members were killed in this attack. Click here to read more (external link).

The Diplomat: China’s key interests in Afghanistan are security related. It aims to prevent Afghanistan from becoming a safe haven for terrorists who threaten its interests and those of its partners in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). In particular, China wants to ensure that Uyghur separatists do not find sanctuaries in Afghanistan. Additionally, ChinaRead More...

Afghanistan International: Following the referral of Afghanistan’s case to the International Criminal Court, the court’s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, announced that he would soon request arrest warrants for Taliban officials. He said that investigations into human rights violations, particularly women’s rights, in Afghanistan were ongoing. Click here to read more (external link).

Ayaz Gul VOA News December 3, 2024 ISLAMABAD — Taliban authorities in Afghanistan are reported to have banned medical schools from admitting female students, removing the last remaining opportunity for women to pursue higher education. The decree issued by the reclusive Taliban leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, took effect Tuesday, a day after it was communicated at aRead More...



Ariana:.The World Food Programme (WFP) has said that three out of four Afghan families borrow money to buy food. On average, a family’s debts are AFN 38,200 (nearly $560), according to the organization. WFP has warned that as winter worsens in Afghanistan, millions face extreme hardship, with one in four families struggling to get enoughRead More...

Afghanistan International: The Economic Times has identified Afghanistan as the most dangerous country in the world for travellers, citing war, political instability, and rampant crime as the primary factors. The Economic Times attributed Afghanistan’s dire state to decades of war, including the Taliban’s resurgence, which have resulted in widespread violence and insecurity. The report alsoRead More...

Khaama: The Ministry of Public Health of Afghanistan announced that 200 new cases of HIV/AIDS have been identified in the country this year, and currently, 1,400 individuals infected with the virus are receiving treatment. Meanwhile, the BBC World Service has categorized Afghanistan among the countries that have seen an increase in HIV/AIDS cases in recentRead More...

Amu: Now, the owners say they have lost everything. “We invested everything we had into these businesses, but the Taliban has taken it all away,” one cafe owner said. “If the closures are permanent, I will have no money left to secure my future.” The closure of the cafes follows a broader crackdown on women’sRead More...



DW: The Islamist  Taliban rulers have banned girls from attending school beyond sixth grade and women from going to university. They have also removed all topics related to human rights and women’s rights from school and university curricula, saying issues related to equality, liberty, elections and democracy contradict Taliban ideology. Click here to read more (externalRead More...

Khaama: Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, spokesperson for Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, announced that Afghan nationals had been arrested during protests by Imran Khan’s supporters in Islamabad. While Baloch did not specify the exact number of Afghan nationals arrested, this is not the first time Pakistani authorities have reported the detention of Afghans during protests inRead More...