By Abubakar Siddique Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty December 25, 2024 Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers were quick to congratulate fellow Islamists from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) on toppling Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government. As the HTS fighters seized the capital, Damascus, on December 8, the Taliban said it hoped that the group would “lay the foundations of a sovereignRead More...



Ayaz Gul VOA News December 24, 2024 Islamabad — Taliban leaders in Afghanistan hosted meetings Tuesday with a high-level delegation from neighboring Pakistan, marking the resumption of such interactions after a year-long pause due to terrorism allegations. Mohammad Sadiq, Pakistan’s newly appointed special envoy for Afghan affairs, led his country’s team at the talks in KabulRead More...

Amu: At least five people, including children, were killed in airstrikes carried out by Pakistani forces in Barmal District of Afghanistan’s eastern Paktika Province, local sources said. The death toll is expected to rise as reports from the remote area continue to emerge, sources added. Click here to read more (external link).

Tolo News: Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, the Deputy Political Minister of Foreign Affairs, emphasized a united approach among regional countries against the West, particularly the US and NATO, during a program in Kabul today (Monday). According to Stanikzai, the US and NATO are common enemies of Afghanistan and Iran, which necessitates stronger ties between KabulRead More...

Afghanistan International: After capturing Kabul in August 2021, the Taliban killed wounded government security forces who were being treated in a 400-bed hospital and dumped their bodies in containers, Amrullah Saleh, former Afghan vice president wrote. Saleh wrote on social platfrom X on Sunday that the Taliban shot wounded soldiers in a 400-bed hospital justRead More...

Cryptopoliton: In one of the more bizarre twists of Afghanistan’s post-2021 collapse, these guys are reportedly trading memecoins, specifically Shiba Inu (SHIB) and Dogecoin (DOGE), proving that hypocrisy and hustle know no bounds. Click here to read more (external link).

Afghanistan International: The Saudi Arabian Embassy in Kabul announced that it has resumed its operations as of Sunday, 22 December 2024. In a statement shared on X (formerly Twitter), the embassy stated that it will provide “all services to the brotherly people of Afghanistan.” Click here to read more (external link).

By Asadullah Ludin and Abubakar Siddique Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty December 22, 2024 Thousands of health-care professionals have fled Afghanistan since the Taliban seized power in 2021. The severe shortage of doctors, including specialists, has left millions of Afghans with limited or no access to health-care services. The flight of medical professionals has been fueledRead More...

Amu: The series began with a rain-affected first match, which ended in a draw. Afghanistan dominated the second match, winning by 232 runs, before sealing the series with Saturday’s decisive performance in Harare. The two teams are scheduled to face off in a Test match on Thursday, continuing their competitive series. Click here to readRead More...



8am: Economic mafias, in collusion with corrupt Taliban factions, have reportedly presented construction projects and sold state properties and public facilities at the cheapest price as low as the price of a kilogram of “potatoes”! The Stomatology Hospital, Rabia Balkhi Hospital, and the land of the Baihaqi Directorate of the Ministry of Information and CultureRead More...

Arab News: While Daesh immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, the situation may not be so straightforward. In the past, Daesh has been known to claim responsibility for attacks it had no part in to boost its image. A more plausible explanation is that this was an inside job, reflecting the fractured nature of theRead More...

Afghanistan International: The Afghanistan Freedom Front (AFF) claimed that four Taliban members, including a commander, had been killed in an attack by the group’s forces in front of the entrance to the Bagram Airfield on Thursday evening. According to the front, in another attack by its forces in Jabal al-Sarraj district, two Taliban members wereRead More...

By Firuza Azizi Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty December 20, 2024 The Taliban has banned organ transplants in a move that could deprive Afghans of potentially lifesaving treatment. The extremist group said that the transplant of vital organs like the heart, kidneys, and lungs was “un-Islamic.” The move has angered patients and doctors, who say thousands ofRead More...

Afghanistan International: After the assassination of Taliban leader Khalil Haqqani, Abdul Ahad Talib, commander of his special forces; Mullah Shirin, the governor of Kandahar, and Yousuf Wafa, the governor of Balkh, have been asked to pay attention to their security. Reliable sources in Kandahar told Afghanistan International that the Taliban leader has asked them toRead More...

8am: The assassination of Khalil-ur-Rahman Haqqani, the Taliban’s Minister of Refugees and Repatriation, signals that the power struggle between Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada, the Supreme Leader of the Taliban, and Sirajuddin Haqqani, the group’s Minister of Interior and the head of the Haqqani Network, has entered a new phase. This phase seems unlikely to be confinedRead More...



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 Afghanistan National Liberty Party, led by Rahmatullah Nabil, the former chief of the National Directorate of Security, announced on Monday that it would not be joining the recently formed political coalition known as the National Assembly for the Salvation of Afghanistan. In a statement, the party cited differences in “political paths and approachesRead 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...