The Diplomat: The fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad marks a turning point not only for Syria but also for Islamist movements worldwide. For the Taliban, this moment is bittersweet. While the collapse of a rival regime offers a symbolic victory, the rise of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) poses a direct ideological and strategic challenge.Read More...

Afghanistan International: A US State Department spokesperson said that Washington has the ability to engage with “designated terrorist groups” to advance US interests. Matthew Miller said that the US has engaged with various groups, including the Taliban and Tahrir al-Sham, to advance its interests. Click here to read more (external link).

Afghanistan International: Local sources in Badakhshan told Afghanistan International on Monday that Taliban forces shot dead a 14-year-old Ismaili boy in Wakhan district.  A source close to the Taliban described the incident as an “accident” and said that two Taliban forces were arrested. A few days ago, the Taliban shot and killed a man inRead More...

Amu: Russia’s parliament approved legislation on Tuesday that would allow the country’s Supreme Court to remove the Taliban and other previously “designated terrorist organizations” from its list of banned groups. According to Reuters, the bill could pave the way for Russia to normalize relations with the Taliban, who seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021,Read More...

Amu:  The Taliban’s ban on education for girls above sixth grade and women in universities has forced many young women into marriages they neither wanted nor consented to, as families struggle with the restrictive environment. Ziba, a 21-year-old former university student, is one such victim. Forced into marriage after the Taliban shut down universities, sheRead More...



As the academic year ends in Afghanistan, students are saying goodbye to their teachers and classmates. But for girls as young as 11, it’s the end of their education altogether, due to the Taliban’s prohibition on girls studying after the sixth grade. One top student, whose identity has been concealed for her safety, told RFE/RL’sRead More...

8am: Farhad, a pushcart vendor, explained, “People don’t have money to buy things. Every morning, we leave home hoping for work, but there are fewer customers now. On top of that, the Taliban don’t let us work freely, and we’re forced to pay them bribes.” Shopkeepers in Kunduz are also grappling with reduced consumer spendingRead More...



Afghanistan International: Reliable sources in Kabul have informed Afghanistan International that the Taliban’s intelligence agency has arrested two employees of the Ministry of Refugees on charges of involvement in the assassination of Khalil-ur-Rahman Haqqani, the Taliban’s Minister of Refugees. No further details regarding the identities of the arrested individuals have been disclosed. Click here toRead More...

Afghanistan International: The US Department of Justice announced that it has sentenced Abdul Sattar Barakzai, 59, to 30 years in prison for “participating in narcoterrorism for the benefit of the Taliban and the Haqqani Network.” Barakzai is also charged with importing heroin into New York and forging documents. He was found guilty after a two-weekRead More...

Afghanistan International: Andrés Efren Montalvo Sosa, head of the UN Sanctions Committee said on Thursday (December 12) that a number of key Taliban officials are complicit in drug cartels and production and trafficking networks. However, according to Sosa, the Taliban leadership encourages ordinary Afghan farmers to cultivate alternatives. Click here to read more (external link).

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).